An Anglican Compendium of Thoughts and Prayers

Nameplates

2012-01-22T13:09:00.000Z

One of the pleasures of being 'European' is that we are able to easily move between so many wonderful cultures. In fact, it can cost us less to hop on the train or Ferry to France, than it does to take the train up to London. One morning we took the train to Lille France. It's a fast trip from Kent -just twenty minutes under the English Channel and a fast zip through the French countryside and you arrive at Lille. From the station it's just a few seconds walk into the centre of town.

As we walked through the quiet sun dappled older part of the historic French village, we paused to look at the wonderfully aged oak front doors of some houses. Inevitably there were the customary beautiful flowerpots and window boxes filled with geraniums and the like, certainly set there for the benefit of no tourist. And on each door, nameplates: 'Monsieur' et 'Madame' et 'Mme'... whoever.

But one in particular stood out. I paused a while to ponder who these people were who lived behind that door, whose nameplate read not only Mr. and Mrs. but added so tellingly the words 'et nos enfants.' (and our children). Were those children still there or had the years taken them away to other places? I just don't know.

But I like to think that whether small or grown up, living in that village or far away, for those children, this house with that nameplate would be forever home. And that those who wrote those loving words 'and our children' would never be forgotten by them.

Almighty God, on all our journeys, through all our days, keep us mindful we pray, for those who at each stage of the journey have held us and loved us. Amen

The Book in The Attic

Have I told You lately That I Love You?

Perhaps All We Need is a Little Faith in DOG!

Keeping Fit

2012-01-20T19:50:00.000Z

Here we are, a month into the New Year. By this time many of us probably have a heightened awareness of our need to get physically fit as we struggle to shed those holiday kilos we put on. The papers abound with adverts for courses that will teach people to become personal trainers, and it all sounds very attractive on one level:

Apparently it could take me as little as twelve weeks to train, the learning could be done at home and I’d gain the benefit of developing a more muscular and toned body whilst acquiring the skills to help others to become fitter too. That is except for the fact I have several decades worth of Pepsi’s, butter-infused mashed potatoes, and banana cream pies to sort through first.

But there are always downsides to such dreams: The tuition isn’t cheap, there’s no certainty that the qualifications will lead to paid work and there often doesn’t seem to be much of a selection process.

It seems a little strange to me that while we often pay lots of attention to our physical appearance we sometimes completely ignore our emotional and spiritual well-being. Perhaps what we need most is a strong network of relationships with others who affirm and challenge us in a variety of ways.

Friendships can give such support and another source is the constant prompting and guidance that God gives to us throughout the day. We can tune-in to listen to that help when we make space for reflection and silence amongst the other activities of our lives. Words from the Bible remind us that even better than a personal trainer, God always accompanies us, ‘Be filled with the Spirit... Be Guided by the Spirit... Walk by the Spirit.’

The comforting thing about God’s help is that it is always there, all we have to do is to recognise it.

Gracious Lord, help us to first see within ourselves before we criticise or judge others. Guide us, help us to grow within ourselves and within You! May You always dwell within us! Amen

Fruitcakes and Other Nutty Concoctions

Perhaps You Need a Little DOG in your life!

Testing The Waters

2012-01-12T19:14:00.000Z

It is amazing how much of ourselves we unintentionally reveal in the course of ordinary conversation. Most of us don't have to talk very long before those who are listening have a fairly good fix on who we are and what we really value, even if our words themselves are intended to convey the exact opposite! Try listening to yourself some time. It can be both humorous and disconcerting.

St John the Apostle is a case in point. As we follow the Anglican cycle of prayer, in today's first reading, he reveals what he's really about when he explains that he's writing to his friends about Jesus so that 'our own joy may be complete.' In a word, John thinks of his own happiness as something that comes from sharing life and giving it away, not just from grabbing what he can get. And that explains the whole course of his very long life.

So where are we seeking our happiness? And are we finding it? Where have we invested our hearts? Where do we invest most of our waking hours? Are we facing the world, or are we hiding behind our computers, playing games and making excuses? Are we as happy as we'd like to be, or as we think we could be? And what does that tell us about the course we've charted for ourselves?

We're on the edge of a new year. It's a good time to ponder our priorities and set them right. Perhaps this year we can set aside our excuses as to why our duty to serve God somehow falls second and even third to our secular activities. Even clergy can fall prey to the secular or 'business' side of the church and lose track of our real roles.

It's a simple equation: We can either continue to tip our toes in and out of the living healing waters of Christ, or we can jump in and immerse ourselves in His life. It's our choice. He's there for us. But no matter what we do, we can't have it both ways.

Gentle My Words With Wisdom

Perhaps We All Could do With A Bit of Faith in DOG!

If It's On The Internet It Must Be True!

2012-01-12T11:55:00.000Z

Were it not for the miracles of modern technology and most certainly God’s divine intervention, none of us in this group would have likely found one another. What a truly inspirational testimony this is as to how God’s touch leads us, even through technology.

You may have found this site through the new verb of ‘googling,’ or you may have come upon the blog through the act of ‘surfing.’ But for those of us who are ‘middle-aged’ or above, our natural inclination might have been to first turn towards the written word in the form of a reference book, rather than using a computer.

The comforting thing about a book is that before it comes into being it goes through a process of revision, assessment, and validation, which generally means that by the time it is published, it has almost a seal of understood authority. However, with computer-generated material, there is no such process; anyone can produce professional looking material in his or her own home.

Yet I have found myself, almost frighteningly, accepting the premise that if I read it on the internet, it must be accurate. And when I ask my children to do research for homework, they immediately rely upon the internet, rather than using the written word in our library.

This raises important issues for us. As religious people, we may maintain that appearance is comparatively unimportant-it is substance that matters. The problem is that nowadays a professional looking document or Web page carries a kind of spurious authority, which demands from us constant caution to establish its relative value.

When you invest in reading the Bible, you’ll find that it has a fascinating technology of its own. It encourages us to read further, to ‘click’ on expanding ideas and perspectives, drawing us towards a greater understanding of its core. By doing so, it draws us all closer towards a greater understanding of God’s message.

I’m sure all of us have witnessed sad and often appalling scenarios, where individuals have taken one line of the Bible and manipulated it to serve as a validation of their own often fractured and misguided views. I see those people as being afraid to open themselves to the miracles of spiritual growth that the Bible affords us. Sadly, it’s that unwillingness to expand their knowledge that has a negative and sometimes tragic upon others.

However you occasion it, whether it be through the technology of the internet, or with the embracing comfort of The Book in your hands, reading your Bible and exploring its depths will give you a lifetime of pleasure and growth.

If you’re looking to learn more about yourself, there is nothing better!

Creator God, You call us to rejoice in the discovery of new knowledge and to be fearless in the pursuit of truth and understanding wherever we may find it. May we not be distracted by outwards forms and be ever watchful for the pitfalls which can befall the unwary. Our strength and growth comes from Your word. Amen

Perseverance

We've Just Won the Lottery!

Sweet Talkers

Feast of Epiphany

2012-01-07T11:36:00.000Z

If you follow the Christian Liturgical calendar you will already know that tomorrow is the Feast of The Epiphany. A child I know once told me he calls it the ‘Ep Ip Hany Day,’ said in such a way to make it sound like ‘Hip Hip Hurray.’ I marvel at how children are able to mind-map things. It was also how he associated the story of the three wise men. And to be truthful, a story it is indeed.

Most people have already put away their plaster manger scenes and have cleared their homes of the secular markings of Christmas past. But just as we celebrated Epiphany Sunday yesterday, the Church celebrates the arrival of these star travellers on January 6.

We can only speculate from where they came. Truthfully, we have no idea. Avid and possibly somewhat obsessed astronomers have spent many cumulative years trying to determine whether there really was a star. Our determination to create impactive imagery always leaves the quintessential wise men arriving on camels. After all, they’re in the Middle East and everyone travelled by camel back then, didn’t they?

And for some reason there are always three wise men. I find this fascinating because Matthew’s Gospel makes no mention of how many there were. But it is accepted that the gifts were a symbolic gesture.

For the Church the entire story is symbolic. The visitors represent nations from the farthest points on the earth. The gifts, combined with their devotion, demonstrate that all nations can join in celebrating the birth of a baby destined to be Messiah, the suffering king.

The Epiphany is the presentation of Christ to the world. The travellers and the story of their visit to Bethlehem are a classic myth - a story told to encapsulate for those who understand a greater truth. In this case, it’s the symbolism. That the baby born in Bethlehem is not just for one place and time, but for everywhere, always, and all ways.

Falling in Love at Clapham Junction

Please remember Me

This Incredible Christmas Present

2011-12-25T02:06:00.001Z

In his famous play, Green Pastures, playwright Marc Connelly has the angel Gabriel walk on stage with his horn under his arm. He approaches the Lord who is deep in thought. God is troubled about what is happening on earth: So much anger and fighting, so much pain and sadness, so many people blindly ruining their lives. God is very troubled because He has already sent any number of prophets and special messengers, but His people just can't hear them.

Gabriel offers to blow his horn and bring the whole sorry mess to a quick end. But God takes his trumpet away. Gabriel presses the Lord about what He's going to do. And finally the Lord answers, 'This time,' He says, 'I'm not going to send anybody. This time I'm going myself!'

And that's what we're celebrating today: God has given us the best gift He had: His own son as our guide, our brother and our friend. And He'll never take His gift back - not for all eternity.

So what are we to do with this incredible Christmas present? Take it in, all the way inside. Silently and simply, speak His name, 'Jesus,' and know that no matter what, all will be well. All will be well!

Christ, our Redeemer, Your birth has given us life. Accept our vow, as servants of Your word, that we shall spread Your message of peace, of love, of dedication, and hope, from this day forward. Amen

Suffer the Children

When The Church Sins

Who are We Forgetting?

Shout Away The Darkness

2011-12-24T05:16:00.000Z

At Christmas time many years ago, during the war, an old priest was visiting the wounded at a local hospital. He came upon a very young soldier whose spine had been shattered by a bullet. He was lying face down in a canvas cradle. A round hole had been cut into the bottom of the cradle for his face. But all he could see was the floor. Thousands of miles from home and fearing he'd never walk again, the teenager felt utterly alone, cut off from all the world as he stared at that floor hour after hour.

He spoke with the priest in hushed tones and then after awhile, the boy asked softly, "Father, could I see your face? I feel so alone. It would help me a lot, if I could just see your face a little while."

And so, carefully, with creaking joints, the old priest got down on his knees, then over onto his back, and ever so slowly he inched his way under the cradle until at last the boy could see him - face to face - and know for a little while that he wasn't alone.

That's what we've always longed for as we stumble through the cold and the dark, trying to find our way in life. We long to see our Father face-to-face and to know for sure we're not alone. We long for His warmth, His light, and His strength. And now on this holy night, our deepest longing is fulfilled and our dream has come true. For as we look upon that tiny face in the manger, we know at last what God is really like: He's the one who loves us with a love beyond all telling, and He holds nothing back.

As we see this child and as we know the man He'll become, we know in our hearts we'll never be alone or cold or afraid again. For God's son Jesus, our brother Jesus, has come to light our darkness, to warm our coldness, and to show us the way home! And on this Christmas feast we celebrate and we sing with the angels: Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest!

I invite all of us to light a candle this Christmas, not just shouting away the darkness of what is, or stuck in the longing for what might have been, but lighting our own candle of generosity, witness, forgiveness, and kindness.

In sharing my wishes for you to have a very happy Christmas, I pray that happiness will bring peace into our hearts, making us peacemakers in our homes, our communities, and making us, in small but real ways, makers of peace in our world.

Loving God, You brought Your Son into this world that we may forever walk in light. We pray tonight for those who are in distant lands, defending democracy and human rights. Wherever they may be, may they find the embrace of love in their hearts, from their families and loved ones. We pray for those who are frightened about finances, the possibility of losing their jobs and homes, and who are suffering from stress. We pray for those who are struggling to maintain relationships due to the weight of financial worries. Bring peace and understanding into their hearts, that they may support one another. We pray for the countless children who suffer at the hands of adults who exploit, hurt, and intimidate them. Guide those children to people who can protect and help them. And we pray for our world leaders; that they may act with wisdom and compassion in all they do. We pray this in the name of Your living Son, Christ Jesus. Amen

The Meaning of Christmas

Preparing For Christmas

The Darker Side of Christmas

As Christmas Approaches

2011-12-17T08:54:00.000Z

As Christmas approaches, the newspapers are sure to find someone, usually a clergyman, to voice the complaint that the whole season has become nothing more than an orgy of spending and consumption, and to declare that they intend to drop out, and give the money they save to people who need it. With equal certainty, this will then be matched by another voice, condemning such a killjoy attitude, and insisting that we should join in the full festivities, grateful that even such a secular world as ours still gives so much to a major Christmas festival.

This little ritual is a regular occurrence because both voices strike a chord. Sometimes it really does seem as though Christmas Day, when it comes, is more of a whimper than a bang, and all the preparation and expenditure ends in a 'celebration' that for a lot of people doesn't amount to much more than a day in front of the telly, watching special editions of programmes they would have watched anyway.

At the same time, it's deeply built into human beings that from time to time they should push the boat out, and organise occasions when the economical gives way to the extravagant. To refuse ever to do this is not to remain sensible in the face of general foolishness, but to cast ourselves in the part of Scrooge.

It might seem that the answer lies in striking a balance, but the matter goes deeper than this. To know how and where to strike that balance, we need to experience a genuine sense of celebration; we need to know what the point of all the activity is, and what gives it meaning. Otherwise, Christmas really is just going through expensive, if not time honoured motions, a case of perfectly pointless 'shop till you drop.'

Almighty God, in great love You came and lived among us long ago. As Christmas Day approaches, help us to recover a sense of what the great mystery of the Incarnation means, and find again within ourselves a celebrating heart. Amen

Suffer The Children

2011-12-05T22:12:00.005Z

As you cross the border from Hungary into Western Romania, the noticeable differences are instantaneous. The lights, when there are any, are much dimmer, there are never any children playing, and when you do see children, they're most often huddled in the train station trying to find warmth against the walls.

It's a stark contrast from all I see at home, or from what I saw during my recent visit to America. And whenever I'm at home, our family rituals include warm embraces, playing games, or making biscuits or cakes in the kitchen together. I'm not suggesting a Currier and Ives Christmas card scene, but it's certainly an image of warmth and security.

Interestingly, there's a controversial thesis by French historian Philippe Aries, that claims my schmaltzy attitude towards my children couldn't really have existed until the seventeenth century. Aries argues that because child mortality rates were so high, parents were not able to make the sort of emotional investment that we do in our children. Until the early modern period, children were simply adults waiting to happen.

All of which suggests a rather different take on Jesus' claim that unless we become like children, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Unfortunately, most of the time, Christians over-sentimentalise the role of children in the New Testament. It easily becomes cloying chocolate-box stuff: Jesus praises children because they are wide-eyed, innocent and trusting - a perfect analogy for faith. Well, I have difficulty swallowing that image.

Aries tips us off to the insight that children play an important role in the teachings of Jesus because they were nobodies. Life was too tough to waste love on a child who might not survive - so children became insignificant, marginalised, and terribly vulnerable. This then, is the unsettling message of what Christians are called to become if they want to find the Kingdom of Heaven. They are called to side with the nonentities and the defenceless, not with the cute and cuddly. After all, that's the real message of Christmas: the creator of Heaven and earth gets born as a pathetic child by a disgraced mother in a grotty shed.

In countries where its people have been victims of tyranny and manipulation it is difficult to get that first foothold in the rung to climb from deep within the abyss. Most of the children are unable to communicate their needs and therefore remain victims of predator adults or of those fortunate enough to be picked first. And for others, their perception of safety comes from the warmth they find with other homeless children, deep within the bowels of earth, among the steam pipes that criss-cross the city.

As we face what meteorologists claim will be one of the coldest winters in two decades, perhaps it's time for us to forget the cringe-making kitsch of the Jesus 'friend-of-little-children' image we so conveniently create for ourselves. When Jesus spoke of the kingdom belonging to children, it was to children such as these.

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

Meet The Children

It's A Wonderful Life

2011-12-04T22:12:00.000Z

I’ve nearly gotten all of the Christmas decorations up. Yes, I’m slow. I admit it.

At the bottom of one box was a DVD - one of my all-time favourites; Frank Capra’s magnificent film – It’s a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. I place it in with the Christmas decorations each year as it has become a family tradition to watch the film whilst scoffing down an array of Christmas goodies.

It’s interesting to know that when the film was first released the public’s reception of it was rather lukewarm. Now it’s a Christmas classic being watched by people around the world.

Whilst the film certainly has a Christmas theme, the appeal that causes our cheeks to redden and our eyes to mist is the message of an overwhelming victory of charity over greed, kindness over rudeness, and friendship over alienation.

Just when George Bailey feels he has nothing in the world, no one who loves him, and he’s so alone in the world, the world shows him that he is loved! His friends come to his rescue during his greatest time of need. George Bailey has clearly reaped what he spent his life sowing.

Isn’t this the essence of our celebration of the birth of Jesus? Just when we felt we were alone in the world, Christ came to declare God's love for us.

That's the message of Christmas that opens the door to a wonderful life—the joy of knowing Christ and living in His love.

I wish you all a Joyous Christmas!

Father Bill Haymaker +

Lord Father, You sent a messenger to prepare our hearts for the coming of Your Son. Help us to hear his words and repent our sins, that we may always walk in Your light, living our lives for our Lord, Christ Jesus. Amen

Moving From Darkness To Light

Who Are We Forgetting?

Suffer The Children

Remembrance Day

2011-11-11T06:50:00.000Z

There is a passage in the New Testament that reads 'Greater love has no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friend.'

Whilst I can appreciate what the writer is saying, I have to say that I find it difficult to agree with. I think that there is a greater love than dying for a friend and that is dying for a stranger.

And it is precisely that which so many members of our armed services have done over the years and whose deaths we will remember this Remembrance Day.

Having served so many people, whose lives are either in the military or are touched by the military, I have often been struck by the number of similarities that seem to me, to exist between the lives and attitudes of the early disciples and soldiers today.

Consider both the soldier and the early disciples; each has or had a mission that was greater than their own lives. Both had a leader, whom they trusted and followed. And for the disciples, just as for some soldiers, that leader was killed whilst pursuing their common aim.

The impact of that event, on both disciple and soldier, is very similar, as it can affect the subsequent course of their entire life. In the same way both have a commitment that must put their families after their vocation: - 'he who follows me must leave his mother and his father and brother and sister' and again, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'

Finally, both are under discipline. In fact the word disciple comes from the same root as discipline: - one who follows.

Ultimately all discipline is self-discipline; all soldiers go about their business from an inner strength... as do all disciples.

Lord Redeemer, give us the courage to do what we must to make our homes and society a better place for all, despite the fears and desires to live only for ourselves. Amen

Lest We Forget

As Long as We're Remembered

Falling In Love at Clapham Junction

Moldova Prisons

2011-10-24T10:52:00.000+01:00

I doubt if anyone would ever forget their first visit to a Moldovan prison: the forbidding gates, the echoing corridors, the stench of human body odour, rotting rodents, faeces, urine, and the constant moans of the suffering. Spend even a few hours inside and most of us are gasping for the fresh air of freedom. If that's how it feels to the visitor, how must it feel to those who know that the place is to be home, if not ‘sweet home,’ for the next six months or six years?

Yet to meet even briefly the people who inhabit it, whether staff or prisoners, is to find the human face of prison. Within its walls there’s a cross-section of humanity: sensitive and insensitive, kind and cruel, noble and villains - and that’s just the staff!

Within the prisoner community one can find university graduates, accountants, politicians, musicians and actors, innocent children and mothers - alongside the usual mix of drink and drug victims, addicts and psychiatric misfits. Every one of them, the believer would want to say, made in the image of God and for that reason infinitely valuable and precious.

They are there because they are either alleged or guilty of having offended against society, and their penalty is the temporary deprivation of liberty. And at least in Moldova they are also there in the hope, albeit sometimes a faint one, that the experience will lead to a reformation of life.

Shockingly, there are many there who are victims of the former government and old communist laws or practices, where the prisoner is guilty of nothing more than speaking against the government. Indeed, the long needed changes in this practice are happening. But it's more challenging to change behaviours and practices than it is to change a written law in a book. So suffering abounds, both for prisoner and keeper!

Strangely enough, history and religious faith are full of prisoner heroes: Daniel, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, St Peter and St Paul, or John Bunyan, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Those names may help us to realise that time spent doing ‘porridge’ is not always wasted.

These prisoner heroes were also of course, people of faith and there's no doubt that many prisoners are attracted to religion during their time inside. America has some faith-based prisons and in Britain we have prison chaplains, working within the prison service, but very much concerned with the spiritual well being of all the inmates and staff. None of this exists in a Moldovan prison. Often in Britain this is the first time the prisoner is asked to account for his conviction and what journey he will take towards change.

But for many of those prisoner heroes the first step on their journey of faith was simply to recognise that they were in prison as a fair punishment for what they had done. It was too for another criminal, to whom Jesus made His last and solemn promise as he hung beside him on a cross. Unlike his taunting colleague, he confessed that he had been condemned justly, ‘for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds.’ he then pleaded, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ ‘Truly I say to you,’ came the reply, ‘today - not at some future day of kingship - today you will be with me in paradise.’

Footnote:

This year in particular I am in desperate need of help for the women and children imprisoned in Moldova. We waited an entire year for a comprehensive support and aid project to take place, only to learn that in fact, not one of the projects had ever been started by the American church who had assured the undertaking. It has caused some tragic consequences. We are not trying to raise money - only tangible help. If you are interested in learning about the needs of the people of Moldova, please see our blog entitled:

http://www.pnlmoldovaprisons.blogspot.com/

or refer to our website,

http://www.projectnewlife.org/

Lord God, protector of our freedoms, Grant us the grace to work against evil and to promote justice and freedom for all. Protect the oppressed and downtrodden, uplift them with the knowledge that they are not forgotten and there are those who work diligently to bring them freedom. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen

When we Think God isn't Listening

The Children's Story Visit Our Children Moldova Prisons

Freedom For All...Almost

Take Eat This Is My Body

2011-10-23T16:30:00.000+01:00

Last night my son asked me to make bread rolls. It reminded me of my childhood, when I’d watch the wife of a man who looked after my horse, make bread.

I would take the train up to their small town, telling my mother that I was going to check on my horse. The truth was that I really missed Mrs Fowler’s cooking and I enjoyed being around her grown children who were all involved in equestrian activities.

Mrs Fowler was a simple woman, resolutely Baptist, full of life and full of Christ. She could make the most wonderful breads in what appeared to be taskless seconds. And all the while she’d sing sweet songs about her relationship with Jesus.

It was quite a different world for this young Anglican mind to experience, as she'd drag me off to one of her Wednesday night services. And if the word 'confession' is appropriate in this context, it was the end of the service I looked forward to, when the local women would unwrap their fresh baked goods for the faithful to share. In my small eyes I saw this to be the communion which didn't quite seem to figure into a Pentecostal country Baptist service.

Several months before Mrs Fowler passed away I went to visit her. It had been nearly 30 years since I last saw her. I told her that I believed she was the one who had set the spark in me to start my own spiritual journey and she had given me the confidence to at least try making bread.

But no matter how hard I tried, as a young person, I could never recreate those magnificent rolls she made. It was her art and it was her gift.

That was long ago. Today whenever I make my bread, my mind is flooded with warm memories of Mrs Fowler. Typical guy; I’m probably much better at incinerating things on a grille than I am at baking, but I still enjoy it.

It’s soothing on the soul and allows me time to make mental doodle marks in the air about things I want to write about. And kneading the bread, that tactile movement, can be quite comforting. And once done, I can set it aside and allow the yeast to do its stuff.

The function of yeast is fascinating. You mix it into a cup of warm water and stir a little: within minutes it begins to breathe, to swell, to soften, and come to life. Little plant spores - that's what yeast is: cocooned in their package until you come along with warmth and water and remind it that it's alive. Mixed with the flour, it begins to feed on it as well, growing and swelling. And in time it has evolved. It has risen to great heights, cresting over the top of the bowl.

Again you work with it, kneading it in your hands, forming it, moulding it, helping it to become what you want it to be. But before it can become bread something important must happen: The yeast must die.

In each place where the yeast spore has been, there will be a pocket of air-an acknowledgement of its death. And into the hot oven it will go. The yeast spores have given their life for the bread.

But their memory is everywhere in the loaf. They shaped it. Their bodies gave it the power to rise. You even taste and smell them still, though they are gone: that flavour, unique to other breads, is what makes yeast bread so different.

Isn't that just like our relationship with Christ? "This is my body, which I have given for you." It cannot be at all unless I give my life for it. You are the body. You and I and the bread; we are body together.

And I am in You and You in me. Amen

Father in Heaven, I submit myself to You. Guide me, be with me, lead me, and always help me to grow in Your light. I pray this in Christ's name. Amen

Are you suffering from spots or wrinkles?

When Traditions Become Weights

When We Need a Little Help

We Lift One Another

2011-10-22T16:24:00.000+01:00

It was almost exactly one year ago when I had returned from a trip to Moldova. The trip had been particularly challenging. I had been stunned beyond words, when a prison officer opened a cell door for me, to find babies locked inside. Certainly, I’ve seen worse than this, but nevertheless, it stunned me and it made me feel so very helpless.

My ministry serves not only to raise corporate and personal awareness of the needs of communities and individuals, but to promote personal and corporate responsibility. It could easily be described as making ‘cold calls.’ You ‘knock’ on a lot of doors and you get an incredible amount of them shut in your face and an amazing amount of ‘suggestions’ as to who we should see, or where we might go for help. But you plod on and thankfully, occasionally; someone will take the time to listen and actually do something!

Each of us holds a personal responsibility, not only to ourselves but to our fellow man as well. Likewise, any public business holds a corporate responsibility: to its shareholders, its employees and to the community in which it is based. But I believe businesses, especially international ones, also hold a ‘social responsibility.’ Accordingly, I try to get businesses involved–to help them create projects that effectively change lives for the better.

Just as I am doing during this period of Lent, last year I was reflecting on what I had accomplished as well as failed to accomplish and the idea of sins had come to mind; sins against humanity, sins against the children, the sins of ignoring the plight of others, especially when the message is screaming so loudly at us.

And my thoughts had caused me to type the words ‘corporate sin’ into one of the search engines. I had never used the term before and I don’t think I ever would have thought of it, except for the gnawing feeling of sadness I had over what I had seen and felt. During that same month I had listened to an overabundance of ‘promises’ of what someone was going to do to help. But I instinctively knew that all the promises were nothing but bravado and attempts at self–affirmation.

God reaches out to us in ways we can never imagine. There it was, another priest in America had validated the very same thoughts and reflections I was being so pensive about–the very same things that Lent calls us to reflect upon:

Our sins, not just the sins we commit individually, but the sins we commit as members of groups, or societies, or institutions–here is where the term ‘corporate sin’ applies. It could be those sins where ‘the company’ disregards the good of the people, or disregards the needs of its community. This is why our confessions begin with the word ‘We.’ We confess…

Then there is the sin of omission. Those things which we ought to have done but have found a million excuses to justify our failure to do so. That is our sin of omission.

But what about the sin we commit when we have the power to do things and we simply choose not to? All the good we could do in this world, in our communities, in our businesses and homes simply isn’t done. And there is no reason. Why do we do this?

Lent serves as a time for us to examine ourselves and to ask ourselves:

Am I connected with God? What is my relationship with Him and with my spiritual community? And am I doing it humbly and not merely for show?

Am I investing in the world around me? Am I joyfully sharing what I have with others, especially strangers?

Am I able to easily forgive and turn the other cheek? And do I demonstrate this to others.

Am I finding ways to celebrate life, rather than condemning it?

Am I nurturing others–family, friends, my community and church?

Am I leading rather than following? I am I standing up for others, protecting those who need protecting and defending those who cannot defend themselves?

And finally, when our day is finished, am I able to look back and see that all has been good and give thanks to God for all we have.

So, just a note to a distant friend: it's a year on and I have not forgotten you, Canon Rechter. I wish you every success in your ministry. And in my prayers today, I give thanks to God for the words of comfort I found through another one of His children.

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Compassionate God, we acknowledge our sins, weaknesses, omissions, and failures. When our failures discourage us, may Your compassion embrace us and hope lead us through this season of repentance to the joy of Easter. We pray this, in Your name. Amen

The Face Of A Child

2011-06-13T10:54:00.000+01:00

If you want to understand the mystery of creation, just look into the face of a child.

Over 50,000 children die every day from abandonment, starvation, cruelty, and preventable diseases. In over 80 countries, children are deprived of any education at all.

Newspapers abound with horror stories of kidnapped and exploited children, parental abuse, neglect, rape and torture. Throughout the Middle East children have been turned into single–minded, rock–throwing victims and suicide bombers. Truly our children are the fatalities of the 21st Century.

Television entices young children into modelling themselves as sexual beings and then society cries out when the child becomes a victim of promiscuity. The internet, whilst extolling its benefits, robs them of human interactive and communication skills, denies them the ability to dream, and creates yet another subculture where the family structure has again suffered. Our society encourages and rewards them for creating fantasy alter–egos, under the guise of ‘security.’

Wherever our western media spreads we turn children into powerful consumers, consuming adults without the maturity to cope with the responsibilities. They strive to emulate the fantasy images of television stars and uninhibitedly mime the most provocative songs and movements.

What have we done? We have manufactured the death of innocence and encouraged disenchantment with the innocence of childhood.

And who is protesting? Sure, when a tragedy occurs, or the newspapers and media choke on the sensationalism and exploitation of yet another tragedy involving a child, what do we do? We forget about it. Yes we do. We do so because we’re too caught up in the next sensational media clip. Their suffering becomes media entertainment designed to sell papers and increase ratings.

Politicians are quick to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to eradicating the offending event. But how many are capable of repairing the root cause? It’s no different than a single hand trying to hold back an ocean wave. Forget all the scandals we read about. This is the scandal of a millennium and our children’s children will suffer greatly for our complacency.

One bomb–one single bomb, one political fundraising event, one lobbyist’s contribution to a political party, or one military aircraft, could provide schools, food, transportation, and medical care for an entire city for ten years in Eastern Europe. But even then the success is so small because as a society we are taught to distrust cultural differences rather than learn about them. We are encouraged to brand cultures as fanatics, nuts, and zealots, rather than build communities of understanding.

And if I’m heaving salvos all around, I can heave plenty towards ‘religion.’ If one word, one single word comes from a pulpit that glorifies, endorses, promotes, or highlights one culture as superior to another, then we have failed there too.

So what does religion do? It provides three important things: Community–the chance for people to gather together and share positive values and build the important foundations of a healthy society. Feeding–it provides nourishment in the form of nurturing and encouragment and helps us to learn to deal with the disappointments that bombard us so often. And Celebration–it brings us together to celebrate Christ in our lives, to share in His Body and Blood and to find salvation.

What will the future say about us? Did we make a difference for our children? Did we envelop them in love? Did we nurture them and demonstrate powerful images of what is right and good?

Right now the answer is: Not yet.

'And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by Him. And said unto them, whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.' Luke 9:47.48

Visit Our Children

Talk's Cheap

The Death of Sarah

Alone Time

2011-06-12T10:58:00.000+01:00

For many years I have made transitions between 'our' world where life is easy – electricity, heat, water, medical treatment and food are all readily available and another world, where people constantly struggle; electricity is a luxury, running water is unheard of, medical treatment is unknown, and food comes from what you can raise yourself.

And between those transitions I have found that I desperately need at least a day alone so that I can reflect, regroup, and energise myself for the world I’m about to face. I've even found comfort by participating in a cookery club where we share recipes. It's a simple temporary diversion from the raging waters outside.

When I don’t have that break I find that I remain out of sync for many days and eventually slump from exhaustion as a result. It leaves me feeling as if I'm not functioning on all my cylinders.

There are times when the world can close in upon us, and we can feel as if we may suffocate from the sheer numbers of voices competing for our attention and demanding our help. It happens to all of us at times, not just to priests, the mothers of pre-school children, or busy executives.

We need to be alone, to regroup, to remember who we are and where we’re going and why. If we are not to lose our way and fritter away our lives, we need time out regularly. We need to be quiet and alone, just as Jesus made certain that He was at regular intervals.

But in Genesis, God makes it clear that ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ Isn’t there something of a contradiction there? Only an apparent one, for our times out, our alone times, are in fact directed toward communion, at oneness with God and God’s greater family, which is the whole point and purpose of our lives, our very reason for being.

If we want true communion, either with God or with His family, we simply must invest in time alone, away from the maddening crowd. Time alone is part of the price we pay for bringing our best selves to God’s whole family. It’s not selfishness; it’s just necessary. So take that time out, whether you think you need it or not!

And when you do, learn to listen through the silence. God has some important things to say to you. And your big family needs for you to hear them.

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Not That Old Chestnut Again!

Having a Good Death

When We Need a Little Help

Family

2011-06-11T12:22:00.000+01:00

Family. Not only is it a lovely word, it has a resonance that can lift you even in the darkest of moments.

The Worldwide Anglican Communion is a blessing and an immeasurable gift. Within the bonds of our family, it allows us to reach across oceans, cultural differences, and language barriers, to the family member who needs help. We are as thirsty for these chances to show forth the love of God, as those who need our help are to receive it. The spring of life from which we all drink, pours its goodness on giver and recipient alike.

This past week, children of the village of Budesti Moldova drank from that spring, thanks to the caring, giving efforts of a stranger. Alison Casserly joyfully responded to a plea I made on the BBC several months ago for a knitting instructor to come to this small village to teach children how to use a knitting machine.

For the children, it was amazing! They were awe-struck that a virtual stranger would leave her home, her family, and travel thousands of miles to their small village to spend time with them. They were learning an important lesson about our Christian family. We have no boundaries. As a family, we are one.

For Alison, it was a special journey as well. It allowed her the opportunity to leave behind all we take for granted in our busy Western world. And it took her back to a time and place where values are centred around the importance of family and community, working with your hands, and giving thanks for all the goodness God provides from the earth. No microwaves, no plumbing, just wholesome living by taking communion from our gardens.

By Alison’s own words, it brought her closer to her husband and children and it reminded her of what our real values are in life.

Alison bravely stepped into a hurting world and actively participated in its healing. And for this, people will see her kindness – not just us who witnessed it, not just those within the church.

Everyone will see. For it will show in the faces of those children – now and for the years to come.

To the thirsty, I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Revelation 21:6

Just A Stones Throw

Happy Mothering Sunday!

2011-05-07T21:02:00.000+01:00

Happy 'Mothers Day!' For those of you who are not ‘POMMEYS’ (Prisoners of Mother England), this Sunday is ‘Mothers Day’ across the British Empire (as well as most other Christian communities). It’s actually known as Mothering Sunday, and is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. However, it has no association with the American holiday in May known as Mother’s Day, or as some cynics call it, ‘Hallmark Day.’

The original translation from Latin is a derivative of ‘Refreshment’ or ‘Laetare Sunday,’ during Lent: the first words of the opening prayer of the mass are Laetare Jerusalem (Rejoice Jerusalem), and honour is given to Mother Church. The extension to actual mothers was gradual, and became a time when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants, were given a day off to visit their family.

Now, it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and cards to their mothers. But it can also be recognised, in its truest form, as a time to recognise those who are in the act of mothering. The dictionary defines ‘mothering’ as ‘to care for or protect.’ It is not gender specific. Unfortunately, as the distance between continents become shorter, the commercial aspects of this date overpower its broader and possibly purer origins.

‘Mothering’ comes from carers, nurses, male parents-people who serve others, those who provide loving, nurturing care as if they were the mother to the individual. These people are so often forgotten or ignored and it is sad that due recognition is often not given. The individual who has cared for an invalid or elderly person, who needed mothering in its truest sense, may be forgotten today and at all other times.

Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in England worship at their nearest parish or ‘daughter church.’ Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or ‘mother’ church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit the main church or Cathedral of the area.

Over time the return to the ‘mother’ church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It’s difficult to believe that less than a hundred years ago children who were as young as nine or ten would leave home to work in cities.)

And most historians believe that it was the return to the ‘Mother’ church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their families. As they travelled along country lanes, children would collect wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.

The American holiday, which has sadly become so commercialised, began in 1912 when an International Mother’s Day association was formed, as a result of the efforts of a Methodist spinster, who recognised the importance of strengthening family ties. The United States Congress passed a joint resolution marking the second Sunday in May as the official ‘Mother’s Day.’ It was then proclaimed as a national holiday.

The American date never caught on in countries where the US didn’t have strong influence or control, because within the resolution was the mandate that the American flag be displayed on all homes and government buildings in reverence to the mothers of America. It just smelled a bit too nationalist for other countries.

No matter who it is that nurtures, cares for, supports, defends, helps and loves, they certainly deserve accolades of gratitude, praise and love. Today, above all, please don’t forget to recognise them, no matter where in the world you may be!

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with those who care for others. Give them calm strength and patient wisdom. Let the love they show for others be always a guide for us. Bless the mothers who bear Your children and guide their lives. We are all Your children. Amen

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Galatians 4:26

He Is Risen

2011-04-24T04:45:00.000+01:00

We've now reached the pinnacle of our Christian calendar! Easter has arrived in all its splendour and fanfare. The Resurrection, Christ's bursting from the tomb; it is the core of our affirmation of faith, the heart of our Christian message of good news.

But does the celebration of life over death have a wider resonance? Does it point towards a common facet of the human spirit - the refusal to let death have the last word?

The funeral liturgy that we follow – that affirmation of life after death, is inexorably intertwined with the celebration of birth. It’s actually an Easter liturgy and rather than a liturgy of despair it is an affirmation of Christ’s promise to be with us ‘always, to the end of time.’ But why is it that we do not look at death with the same sense of celebration as we do a birth? Our natural life rhythms seem to be denied.

In Moldova, this weekend’s news offers up chilling details of a trafficked child’s body being found in a barrel. And each day governments diligently work to obfuscate the truth of countless innocent women, children, babies, and elderly dying in Libya. Again, like a replay of Iraq, their numbers are being hidden in buffering euphemisms such as ‘collateral damage.’

And in hospitals, nursing facilities, and our private homes, people who have had long journeys are breathing shallow breaths, still holding on to the essence of life, for just a few more minutes, before they begin their new journey.

Throughout our human story, death remains the enemy. It is never welcomed; it is always looked upon as a curse or an affront to life.

As Christians we draw upon our faith in life beyond the grave from the events of Easter. That life beyond, that renewal, powerfully draws us away from the grave and invites us to live our lives knowing that it will never end in destruction. Instead our lives have a resonance and meaning that our mortal death cannot touch.

The human spirit shares two powerful spiritual emotions. First it is the awareness of what is passing away. The other is the awareness of a new life that lies on the other side of pain and struggling.

And perhaps we’ve become a little wiser, recognising that resurrection, whether in this world or the next, is never a simple return to the lost innocence of Eden.The ingredients of the new life are a culmination of the painful and costly struggles in which we engage every day.

This is why, according to our Christian teachings, when Jesus rose from the dead there were still wounds in His hands and side. They’re reminders of what He gave for us, for our salvation, for our sins, so that we may live again.

Praise Jesus!

He That Follows Me Walks Not In Darkness

2011-04-23T12:34:00.000+01:00

Today is Holy Saturday: Sabbatum Sanctum. Jesus is dead and buried and lies in the tomb.

At the time of Jesus’ death there were many who waited by the cross expecting Him to be rescued. In fact, there were many who refused to believe He had actually died.

But the story of Easter is not theatrics. Without a real death there would be no real resurrection. It would just be another fantasy story. And the pain and suffering would never be believable.

The time we spend in church this evening serves as an important time for us to reflect upon the reality of Christ’s death. And it’s a time when we might reflect upon our own mortality.

Tonight, the Paschal candle that burns represents Christ, the light of the world: ‘I am the light of the world. He that follows me walks not in darkness.’ The beeswax, of which the candle is made, represents the sinless Christ, who was formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body. There are five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross. They recall the aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side.

The vigil, which will begin in darkness, representing sin and death, is enlightened by the fire and the candle representing ‘Lumen Christi,’ the Light of Christ. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, the community of believers, is led from spiritual darkness to the light of His truth. Christ's baptism, which our own baptism imitates, is represented during the liturgy, by the blessing of the water of baptism, by immersing the candle representing His Body into the font. We recall the Apostle's Creed, ‘He descended unto the dead.’

Today is a day where we are suspended between two worlds: that of darkness, sin and death, and that of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World.

During the liturgy we recall God's sparing of the Hebrews, whose doors were marked with the blood of the lamb; we are sprinkled with the blessed water by which we were cleansed from original sin through Christ's sacrifice, and we repeat our baptismal vows, renouncing Satan and all his works.

We rejoice at Christ's bodily resurrection from the darkness of the tomb; and we pray for our passage from death into eternal life, from sin into grace, from the weariness and infirmity of old age to the freshness and vigour of youth, from the anguish of the Cross to peace and unity with God, and from this sinful world unto our Father in Heaven.

Our Easter candle is a reminder of the Risen Redeemer 'who shining in light left the tomb.' It is lighted each day during Mass throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday.

Today is a day for us to reflect. It is a time to rest and prepare for His resurrection.

If we have died with Him, tomorrow, as He promised us, we shall indeed see the new light of Christ.

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believeth in me shall live, even though he dies; and whosoever lives and believeth in me shall have ever lasting life. John 11:25-26

Tre Ore, The Three Hours

2011-04-22T14:56:00.000+01:00

Tre Ore, the ‘three hours’ is the name of the solemn service we attend now, from noon until 3pm. During this time we meditate on the Seven Last Words of Christ, the seven utterances Jesus delivered from the cross, which are selected from the Four Gospels:

1. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’
2. ‘Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
3. ‘Woman, behold your son! ... Behold, your Mother.’
4. ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’
5. ‘I thirst.’
6. ‘It is finished.’
7. ‘Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.’

Cursed, beaten and forced to carry His own cross, Christ’s crucifixion on ‘Good Friday’, is the blackest day in Christian history.

There are many opinions about the origins of the term Good Friday. Some scholars argue that the word ‘Good’ is an abbreviation of ‘God.’ And early Christians commemorated the sad event by calling it ‘God's Friday.’ Others claim that ‘good’ signifies the bounty of blessings we’ve received through salvation itself that Christ won for humankind in His sacrifice.

Good Friday leads us to focus on the death of the innocent. Perhaps as we pray today we will reflect on the crucifixion and will be aware, perhaps uncomfortably, of a resonance between the unjust death of Jesus and the many unjust deaths in our world.

I am profoundly saddened over the discovery of a woman who lay dead for over two years. She had been a victim of domestic abuse and had sought refuge through a local charity. But the charity and her family simply forgot about her. And each time I hear further details about the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui I, just as so many others, am compelled to relive the events of September 11.

Sadness exists just as it always has - the innocent are killed now, just as then, either because they present a threat, or because they simply get in the way or are instruments of mankind’s perversions. Innocent death provokes outrage, and with it a longing for justice, and sometimes revenge.

We’ve become so accustomed to interviewers sticking microphones into the faces of those whose loved ones have been unjustly killed and asking ‘what do you feel?’ This always seems so perverse and tasteless - we know what the injured must feel, and it seems cheap to expose their feelings of outrage and hate just for our entertainment. And yet perhaps we want the interviewer to ask, because we’ve come to believe that only by expressing hatred the living can do justice to the innocent dead. We crave for the bereaved to be angry and implacable.

We even use religion to sanctify these feelings. In medieval times Good Friday was a day when Christian mobs assaulted the Jews because the Gospels said their ancestors were to blame for the death of Jesus. But if that is what Good Friday is about then the Church is no better than the mobs.

The point of this day is not that Christians become incited about the Crucifixion and vow to destroy Christ’s enemies. It’s a day for repentance and worship.

What does that say to the innocent deaths in Iraq, Romania, Moldova, Africa, America, and all the other personal horrifying murders we know about and mourn for? Is it only the bereaved who must speak for the dead? What would happen if the dead came back and spoke for themselves? And what does it say about those who had killed them, about us? Would they come back in spirit? Would they return seeking revenge, or would they bring us a message of forgiveness and reconciliation from God?

It’s an important question because today, on Good Friday, the Church calls us to see death - all death - through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. The dead are gathered into Christ in their dying and the Christian hope is that they are given back to us in His resurrection.

When Jesus returned from death He came both bearing the marks of the cross, and bringing the forgiveness of sins. He offered the same peace to those who loved Him and to those who had betrayed Him. Could we allow the innocent dead to bring us peace this Easter?

Christ, our Lord, our world is in darkness. Without You all our hopes and dreams, and all that we are and all that we are yet to be, becomes nothing. Come into us Lord Christ, our Saviour, so that we may be filled with Your Holy light. Amen

When Traditions Become Weights

Can You Save a Child's Life?

posted for Fr Bill

Refreshment For Our Journey

2011-04-22T14:11:00.000+01:00

Life in Palestine during the time Jesus lived was hard. The popular means of transport was by foot. People would walk long distances on rough, dusty roads on their journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. Travellers often arrived at their destinations with sore and aching feet. As a sign of hospitality, the host would see to it that his guests were given a warm footbath and massage as a way of relieving their aches and pains. This was usually done by the house servants or slaves.

The service of bathing and soothing tired feet was also provided by rest houses and inns found along major roads and highways. Travellers worn out along the way could stop at these inns and have a meal and a foot bath. Their energy thus restored they would then be able to continue and complete their long journey. That is how such rest houses along the way got the name 'restaurants' -they restored strength to tired and exhausted travellers on the way. The disciples would have understood Jesus washing their feet in light of this cultural background. And for us it is a pointer to the meaning of the Eucharist we celebrate.

The Eucharist is a place of restoration for people along the way. Our lives as Christians in this modern world is a pilgrimage, a long, hard journey. Along the way we become tired and worn out and we are tempted to give up and turn back. But Jesus has provided us with the Eucharist as a place where we can go to bathe our aching feet and to be refreshed in body and soul for the journey that is still ahead. When we give communion to a sick person we call it viaticum, which means 'provisions for a journey.' The Eucharist is always a viaticum: in the Eucharist we derive strength to continue our upward journey toward God.

In the story we find that Peter was uncomfortable with having Jesus wash his feet. Peter, who was somewhat of an activist, would have preferred to see himself doing the washing, washing the feet of Jesus and even of the other disciples. Sometimes it is harder to remain passive and allow someone else to bathe us than it is to bathe someone else, as every toddler can tell you. But having our feet washed and washing the feet of others are two sides of the coin we call the Christian life.

The first and most essential part is to let the Lord wash us. First, the Lord washes us clean so that we belong to Him. Only then are we qualified and empowered to wash the feet of our sisters and brothers in the Lord. When this truth dawned on Peter, he overcame his reluctance and cried out, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' For this to happen all that the Lord needs from us is simply for us to be there, to present ourselves to Him and to let Him wash us.

The other side of the coin, which is equally important, is that after the Lord has washed our feet, we must go and wash the feet of others. After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet, He said to them: ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you (John 13:12-15).

Jesus establishes a close link between Him washing the disciples' feet and the disciples washing the feet of others. If the Eucharist is the place where the Lord washes our feet, daily life is the place where we ought to wash the feet of others. Eucharist leads to life leads to Eucharist.

True Eucharist piety must lead to service of others. Jesus who broke the bread of the Eucharist also washed the feet of his disciples.

We must follow His example both at the altar of the Eucharist and at the altar of life.

As Jesus said to Peter, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ John 13:8

Do This In Remembrance Of Me

2011-04-21T22:55:00.000+01:00

As the last supper drew to a close, Jesus had less than 24 hours to live. It was time for Him to speak His last words to His friends. But what could Jesus say, when the sadness was so great? So He simply acted.

First, He gave them His own body and blood as food, so that as long as they lived, they'd never be without the comfort and strength of His presence. Then He washed their feet - a tender reminder of His undying affection and a quiet plea for them to do the same for each other. He fed them, He washed their feet, and then He went out to die.

This evening, in every corner of the world, priests and bishops are doing yet again what Jesus did on that first Holy Thursday, not out of nostalgia, but as a holy remembering - remembering that we'll never be alone because He'll always be near, and remembering that our vocation is to care for one another as He always cares for us.

If you are unable to attend services tonight, try spending a moment alone in silence. For within that silence you will still not be alone. You will feel Him. He is there, beside you, loving you. He has given each of us a fresh new life in the Holy Trinity.

Heavenly Father, we are your servants. We offer up our hearts and souls to You. Cleanse us tonight. Purify our thoughts and guide our words. Make us Your vessels, that we may share your love wherever we travel. We pray this in Your Son’s name. Amen

Posted For Fr Bill

Helping to Ease the Pain

And To Dust You Shall Return

2011-03-09T15:36:00.000Z

I popped in for a visit to a local travel agent's this morning. In the midst of my chatting with one of the staff; a lovely girl with a warm nurturing personality, she suddenly rose from her seat and reached over to me and rubbed her fingers on my forehead.

'Sorry,' she said, 'you had a little something on your forehead.' It happened so fast I hadn't time to react. She had wiped away the ash from my forehead. I explained that it was a sign of penitence or remorse for my sins and an acknowledgement of God's forgiveness. I helped her overcome her embarrassment by laughing with her about it. And I was pleased that I had a chance to explain this tradition in our church calendar.

Throughout the Old Testament there are references to people showing acts of penance before God, by dressing in sackcloth and either sitting or covering themselves in ash. The prophet Jeremiah calls for repentance of our sins this way: 'O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth and roll in the ashes.' (Jeremiah 6:26)

Ash Wednesday signifies our journey as we move from our lives as sinners to the baptismal font, where lies our salvation. Lent reminds us to acknowledge our sins and find our salvation through Christ. It also reminds us of our mortality: 'Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.'

As we follow the forty days of Lent, it is a time for us to reflect, to fast, and to focus on restoring our relationship with God. It's a time for us to use in clearing and renewing our spiritual home.

The young girl told me she 'did not go to church and is not religious.' As I have shared in these devotionals before; you do not need to be religious in order to be spiritual. Even in a secular environment, the season of Lent can be a time where we strive to make amends with family and friends, to offer apologies, and especially to acknowledge our own frailties, omissions, and wrongs.

The Gospel for Ash Wednesday offers us excellent advice on how we are to act during Lent by praying, fasting and giving alms. All of these are spiritual acts. Also, Jesus teaches us that these spiritual activities are to be done without seeking recognition from others. In other words, perhaps we're being encouraged to commit random acts of kindness.

Finally, we do not wear the ashes to suggest that we are holy, but to acknowledge that we are a community of sinners in need of God's forgiveness and in the renewal of our lives. Sadly, irony can be found, sometimes, in how many people attend services on the morning of Ash Wednesday. Let us pray that their presence is to acknowledge their sins and not to promote their piety.
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Loving God, our modern world bombards us daily with responsibilities and enticements, which often lead us to forget Your unconditional love. During this time of reflection and penitence, help us to remember that we are all sinners. Lead us to renew our lives with You and to find our eternal salvation through Your Son. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Why A Pancake?

2011-03-08T07:07:00.000Z

OK, I’m rummaging through the fridge: eggs- yep, butter – absolutely! Now the cabinets: Flour –plenty, and yes…there it is – I’ve been saving it – a large bottle of pure Canadian maple syrup! Shrove Tuesday here we go!

It reminds me of children with their modern Advent calendars; chocolates, candies and other assorted surprises hiding behind each door. But sadly, there appears no mention of what the Advent calendar is about or its symbolism; just as with Shrove Tuesday; it is no longer Shrove Tuesday – it’s now Pancake Day!

Originally Shrove Tuesday was the day that people would confess their sins and receive absolution. Shriving - that act of forgiveness, where the individual is released from their suffering, pain and guilt, was in preparation for the season of Lent. During this time people would empty their larders, freeing their homes from foods such as: meats, eggs, fatty foods, fish and milk items. This prepared the home for the period of Lent – that time for reflection, renewal, and forgiveness.

Today so many people are becoming more health-conscious. They are recognising the importance of cleansing their bodies through detoxification, fasting, and exercise.

Shrove Tuesday is quite similar. It’s a celebration as well as an act of penitence, in preparation of cleansing the soul. And Mardi Gras, the French translation for ‘Fat Tuesday’ is the celebration of that act.

How wonderful! We have cleaned out our fridges, we have cleansed our souls. Indeed, it is a time to celebrate.

Compassionate God: Mercifully hear our prayers and spare all who confess their sins unto You. By Your merciful pardon may all be absolved; Through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, one God, now and forever. Amen

Put It Off Until Another Day!

2011-02-01T07:11:00.000Z

Saturday's the day when I promise myself I'll catch up on all those things I've been putting off during the week. But come on - it's the weekend, roll over and put it off for another day.

And I'm further resigned, as another stream of junk mail pours through the letterbox to be added to the heap destined for the dustbin. We do open the important things. The others get left to be dealt with on some other Saturday.

I am consoled with the fact that, probably very irresponsibly - a friend and colleague once said, if you leave things long enough they mostly go away.

At least I have a choice with post through the letterbox. I can choose to open it or not; unlike the junk text message, or the junk phone call.

The snapshot of our times through junk mail is a curious one: holidays in the sun, timeshare apartments, loans, leather sofas, more credit cards, charity appeals and one rather snippy anonymous note, (I know it came from my effervescently cranky neighbour...the 'Old Goat'), that informed me: ‘Your lawn needs cutting! (Thank you, it has been raining for the past six days if you haven't noticed.) - Oh well, a whole world through the letterbox.

In the light of all that, today's prayer to God might sound like a plea for mercy: ‘Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven;’’ not just a kingdom where there will be no junk mail, a kingdom where galloping consumption and self-destructive luxury is no more. Except ‘here on earth as it is in Heaven’ seems to suggest we might experience something of the economy of Heaven here and now and before that day when we won't have the choice.

Perhaps there is a prayer to be said for working on transforming the world now, with God's help, into one where justice, joy, respect and passion for life begins to emerge on earth as it is in Heaven.

And we just might have the lawn cut on Monday, provided that it doesn't rain!

Lord Jesus Christ, You are alive and at large in the world, help us to change the things that contradict God's love, by the power of the Cross, and the freedom of Your Spirit. Amen

We Just Won the Lottery!

Life's A Puzzle

2011-01-28T08:53:00.000Z

One of the perennial mistakes we can make is trying to figure out what God is thinking and why God did this or didn't do that. It gets us in all kinds of trouble, sometimes even causing us to doubt that God really cares for us or even bothers to give us a second glance after creating us.

That's the bad idea that the deists of the enlightenment wandered into and there are plenty of equally bad ideas about God still circulating. Believe me, I hear quite a few just in the rounds I make!

The crunch can come when we face a tragedy like cancer, or the death of a child, or the sudden strike of the insidious disease MS. And we can really go over the top when we think about the Holocaust or the thousands of children who are battered, abused, trafficked, and discarded in countries around the world.

'I want answers and I want them now!' we may in effect be shouting. If so, we're wasting our breath, for our time is not God's time, nor is our schedule God's. The Apostle Paul says it well: 'How inscrutable His judgments, how unsearchable His ways.'

So what are we left with? Both our faith in the goodness of God and our personal experience, part of it directly intuitive that God abides with us and never leaves, and that His love for us is undying. In the words of the poet, 'That's all you know and all you need to know.'

Loving Father, we do not presume to know Your plans. Help us to serve You without the weight of questioning Your love. Hold each of us in Your heart. Heal those who suffer from afflictions of illness, greed, vanity, lust, self-absorption, and those who use Your name to promote themselves. Teach us to learn to join hands to serve You each day and for every tomorrow. In Christ's name we pray. Amen

Caring for the Dying

When We Need a Little Help

Meet Our Children

World Trade Center and Events of September 11

Sweet Talkers

2011-01-21T14:02:00.000Z

Whenever I travel to Moldova I carry my old laptop with me. It’s over eight years old now and is in deplorable condition. But it's sufficient for writing notes and documents and using the media player for listening to music and radio shows I’ve downloaded before I leave home. There are times at night, when I desperately need the benefits of a mental distraction, from the day’s events and listening to shows from the BBC, NPR, or ABC Australia provide a superb divertissement.

One of my favourites is Garrison Keillor’s 'Prairie Home Companion.' During one of the shows I heard him describe certain people as ‘Fifty dollar haircuts riding around on 88 cent heads.’ He was referring to our drive to constantly maintain an image of success.

Our culture is extremely good at image. It is also extremely good at looking at other people’s image and quickly forming opinions or judgements merely upon that image. And frighteningly, we’re extremely susceptible to forming distorted opinions that someone’s image can equate to goodness, intelligence and success.

Some of you may recall the name Glen Turner, or one of his many businesses: Koscot Interplanetary Enterprises or Dare to Be Great, etc. Mr Turner was the son of a sharecropper. He had no education and suffered from a noticeable harelip. Yet he took those personal assets and set out to make millions of dollars, in cash, by selling ‘dealerships’ to people for the right to sell further dealerships and so on. Today it’s called pyramiding. And those involved in these schemes today would be much more comfortable with the term ‘multi-level marketing.’

Mr Turner donned himself in unborn calfskin boots, ten-gallon hats, and constantly sported on the lapel of his finest polyester suit, a jewel encrusted American flag. In fact, one of his signature gestures was to give people the flag off his lapel. (Invariably, the jewels turned out to be coloured glass.) Mr Turner made compelling presentations to people from all walks of society.

His presentations began with how he had suffered all his life; he had nothing, had been rejected from society and lacked any self-confidence. He had strived to get ahead, but society kept pushing him back. He would tell, with great flourish, how he suffered at home, struggled to make ends meet and how relationships would fail. And he would tell people he was tired of it and he demanded change. He seemed to thrive on sharing his increasingly embellished life and the remarkable transition he had made. Part of his presentation included showing people large sums of cash; sometimes even throwing it into the audience. And with the élan of a Pentecostal minister he would beseech people to stand up and make a commitment ‘now!’

The audiences would be worked into a frenzy. There was a steady stream of people offering increasingly more expressive testimonials as to how their lives had changed and they had more money than they could ever dream – all because of Mr. Turner.

The seminar attendees would quickly fall prey to the electrified presentations. Mr Turner and his cohorts would proudly display their new cars and jewellery and convince the delegates that they could have all these things in no time - provided they jumped on the bandwagon with them. And they would convince them that by attending the seminars and ‘investing’ in a range of ‘distributorship titles,’ they could quickly become as successful as Mr Turner and in charge of their own destiny.

Thousands responded to the call. They mortgaged their homes, took out multiple loans on credit cards, with the encouragement from some of the team leaders to hide from the banks the true nature of why they were borrowing the money. The strategy was to appear wealthy in order to convince others of your success. That way you would successfully be able to sell others into your ‘dealership.’

Today, it’s a long ago memory. Mr. Turner is out of prison, but the concept of finite multi-level marketing schemes still thrive and countless thousands continue to fall prey to slick tongued teams who target the vulnerable, over-hopeful, and gullible. Sometimes it’s even masked behind the impenetrable righteousness of a religious leader or a church.

Sometimes, all it takes is a fifty-dollar haircut for people to be drawn in to circumstances that will only lead to suffering and sadness. There are countless people out there determined to take what they can from you, no matter who they use and how badly they hurt you. All you have to do is look at the emails you receive each day saying you’ve won the lottery or have been invited to share in a bank transfer scheme. And sometimes, that Fifty-dollar haircut can look quite convincing!

Coming about things easily can be a formula for disaster and we are living proof of it, as we create a culture which simultaneously gets dumber and yet finds ways to ‘feel better’ about itself everyday.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you when you aren't nearly as smart as you think you are. It's a bit of a stinging sensation at first, but then you start to realise that reality is so much more fun than the culturally approved, slick talker, or TV-induced hypnosis of being ‘wise in your own eyes.’

Lord in Heaven, help us to open our eyes so that we may see Your world more clearly. We know that our vanity is destructive to ourselves and others. Your Son taught us to be humble. Christ in Heaven, keep our hearts pure. We pray in Your name. Amen

Talk's Cheap!

We Just Won The Lottery!

Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

2010-12-01T20:38:00.000Z

Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, in our preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus. The word, 'Adventus,' in Latin, means a coming. Our faith is all about Christ and therefore we begin with His birth, His entrance into the world.

In many ways Advent is a time for renewal or a new beginning. We begin a new liturgical year, and begin once again, our never-ending quest to find our Lord Jesus Christ within our hearts.

Advent is also a time of watchfulness and waiting. We watch and wait for Him to come, that we might pass from our life of darkness into the life of light. The symbol of light is reflective of this Advent and Christmas season. This concept of light, being strongly associated with this time of the year, is not a Christian invention.

The choice to celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th was made as early as the year 273. This was the date for the pagan (Roman) celebration of "natalis solis invicti," the birth of the unconquered sun. The celebration of Christmas on the same date "Christianised" the ancient Roman feast of light.

During the darkest days of the year, where the days are short and cold, we long for the warmth of Spring, where life renews and once again becomes vibrant.

Advent is also a time for self-examination and asking for forgiveness, as we prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, even as we prepare for Christmas. This is why the colour of the season is purple (or sometimes blue), which is used for marking Lent, the season of self-examination preceding Easter.

The third week in Advent is set aside as more celebratory than the others. Rose is the colour of this week rather than purple, to mark the week, which is why a rose candle is used in Advent wreaths.

Advent, then, is a time of beginning, a time of watching, a time of light. It is a time for the decorations to begin. The lights of our Christmas trees, cribs, and other decorations sign The Coming, the birth of Christ, the Light of the Father, the Light of the World. He comes to light our path, the path to peace and justice, love and happiness.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans tells us "the night is advanced, the days are at hand. Let us throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light."

Yes, He is coming indeed!

Preparing For Christmas

The Pain of Disappointment

A Lesson In Forgiving

World Trade Center and Lessons of September 11

2010-09-10T21:53:00.000+01:00

Just as with countless others, I too find the anniversary of September 11th to be a challenging day. My own life and my family’s were profoundly affected on September 11. And whilst I certainly don’t dwell on it, hardly a week or two passes when my memory is presented with numerous mental snap-shots of that day.

Some might suggest that the fact I learned about what was happening at the World Trade Centre and Pentagon even before the pilots of our American Airlines flight is unfortunate. Actually, I feel it was a gift in a way, for it allowed me to move very quickly into acceptance, and assist the flight crew and several passengers through the most concerning, yet understandable decisions being made by the captain and later in Canada, the distraught and frightened people in my hotel.

Throughout the days that followed, when it was impossible to reach my family in England, it brought for me a sharp focus the realisation of what we should always hold dearest and most precious.

What was forefront in my mind were the snippets of news articles, where stunned and traumatised people were relating the last seconds of phone calls they had with people trapped inside the World Trade Centre, following the first and second impacts.

Above and below the impact points, as the spectre of death was imminent, many people telephoned their spouses, parents, children, friends and family members not to say goodbye, but ‘I love you.’ And humanity could never dispute there are countless unsung heroes who perished, who set aside their own fears to help calm others. During those brief seconds, all those lives focused on what really matters; Love.

Positions, job titles, possessions- they were now insignificant. In fleeting seconds, the true essence of living, of life, of all our existence, was stripped to its rawest form. The women and men; the clerks, directors, flight attendants, managers, cleaners, cooks, waiters, pilots, waitresses, firemen, medics, any one of them, whether at the World Trade Centre, Pentagon, or aboard the four doomed aircraft, any one of them would have traded everything they had for life. Everything!

When death was falling upon Jesus, He looked down from the cross and saw His mother and his dear friend, the disciple John.

‘Woman, here is your son,’ He said. And to John, ‘Here is your mother.’ (John 19:26-27). Seven years ago, these are the same words echoed by those who phoned their loved ones: ‘I love you, take care of each other: be a family.’ They are also the words of all faiths: love, compassion, and forgiveness. People hunger for this message. We want to know what is important in life, what it takes to make a difference. Is my faith enough? What about the things I have done wrong, will I find forgiveness?

The message of Christianity speaks of the worth of every individual, of forgiveness, and of the sweetness of life that overcomes death. Jesus is constantly transforming us, moving us to the centre of our being, where His image is most beautiful and precious. It is from this spiritual centre, that God is sending us to the outer limits of our capacity to love.

The World Trade Centre stood as a beacon to people all over the world. It reflected both the rising and setting of the sun and countless memories of happier times. Whether it was falling in love at Windows on the World, or a child’s holiday trip to one of the world’s tallest buildings, or the countless transactions that travelled from around the world into the fibres of the Twin Towers, the image was indelibly etched into our minds and hearts.

In the aftermath of its collapse, our emotions reflected anxiety, fear and sadness. But we were also able to celebrate through the countless heroic efforts that continue to reveal the absolute goodness of God inherent in every individual.

One of the most essential roles of our Christian lives is to find within the fractured existence of humanity, the image of God waiting to be released. It is to find within the often complex and difficult emotions of division, anger, and animosity the seeds of reconciliation.

My greatest prayer during all uncertain times is that we seek to maintain a spirit of reconciliation, a posture of openness and a respect towards one another. Whether it is America, Britain, or any country on this planet, where the freedom of democracy reigns, we must be nations where people who hold different opinions can express their thoughts and feelings without fear of ridicule, or rejection.

None of us possesses absolute truth. However, all of us need to listen and speak across our often passionately held beliefs. This is not a call to agreement, but to respectful listening. In the past, we have not done this very well.

In a world beset by religious and ethnic strife, the Christian must take the risk of following Christ into the heart of saint and sinner alike, of friend and stranger, of the beloved and the enemy.

In his first letter, John reminds us, ‘Whoever says, I am in the light; while hating a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light.’ (John 2:9-10) Together, we must live into this teaching, or together we shall shrink into the dark shadows of further racial, religious and ethnic divisions.

Today, we pray for the souls lost in this tragedy. We pray for those who bear the responsibility of governmental power, that they use that power wisely.

We pray for the children whose lives continue without a parent, for those who are still mentally locked in the events of that day, unable to climb from the abyss.

We pray for all who have suffered because of aggression. We pray for all those whose lives have been affected by conflict and aggression. And we pray Lord, that You guide each of us to actively invest our lives to always seek to find peace.

Loving and life giving Lord, we pray for all those who lost their lives on the morning of September 11. We pray that Your love touches the families and all who suffered as a result of this tragic event. We pray too, Lord, for those who sought to use evil to impose their own misguided values. We pray that all who seek to commit crimes of violence and aggression are intervened by Your love and tenderness towards all Your children, that they may use their lives for goodness instead. Amen

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, Just as God in Christ also forgave you. St. Paul to the Christians at Ephesus

When We Think God isn't Listening

Words of Comfort for the Dying

I'm only Dying!

Music is a Gift from God

The Good Samaritan

2010-04-14T14:50:00.000+01:00

One of our basic human needs is a need for shelter. But for too many people, a comfortable house and stable home are beyond our reach. As I travel throughout Moldova and Romania the reality of homelessness, poverty and desertion is acute.

Some of the village ‘homes’ are nothing more than bark from trees. There is no running water, no electricity and the heating of the ‘home’ comes from a bucket in the centre of the room with a single coal rock. When the winter ice melts, the water and mud move as rivers around the homes, adding further misery for its inhabitants, especially the children who have no shoes.

In the village of Budesti the local mayor has worked admirably to create awareness of the residents’ plight. The vulnerable in outlying villages are bombarded daily by child-traffickers attempting to groom them into leaving. The poverty creates strong stories across the faces of the people. But the mayor has found help through the refurbishment of a small community centre.

As of now there are no books, no toys for the children, no equipment for sports, etc. However, what there is plenty of is hope. And hope breeds eternal. Recently, a Good Samaritan went with me to Budesti. He represented no one. He had no agenda. He was simply touched by the images on our website.

He flew from the Middle East, where he had been working in the midst of Iraq. He had simply come across this small blog by chance.

On his own, he did what he could to help. He purchased a computer server. He couldn’t afford to buy more, but he felt that if he bought the most important one, others might follow to help buy the computers that link to the server. The gentleman bought two sewing machines. And he bought a small CD player. He asked for nothing in return and in fact, he asked me specifically not to take him to any of the homes, because he couldn’t emotionally cope with the sights. But he did what he could.

As we gathered in the small community centre, there was a festive atmosphere. No one had ever come before to help in such a powerful way. Ever. And the people recognised how humble this simple man was.

A simple act of kindness. The planting of a seed of hope. Helping others create an environment where love and security can flourish and lives can find fulfilment. This is truly the Good Samaritan.

Gracious and Loving Lord, we give thanks for those who sacrifice themselves that they can help change the lives of those less fortunate. Bless them and nurture the seeds they have planted, that they may be rewarded. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Meet The Children of Budesti

Children In Crisis Exploited Children

When We're Needed Most

Anglican Prayers Anglicans

We Are Never Alone

2010-04-10T11:02:00.002+01:00

There are moments when we're very happy to be on our own. What wouldn't we give just to have a few minutes for ourselves! Yet in situations when we don't know if we can cope, or we're frightened, we want someone there with us.

I had just arrived in Moldova. The flights I had taken were long and exhausting and my long drive up to Heathrow Airport had begun at 2 in the morning. I had hoped to sleep for a few hours before I met with people. However, the gentleman who greeted me at the airport appeared extremely anxious as I exited the customs hall.

There was someone in hospital who needed a priest and would I come? Of course, there was no question. I went not knowing what to expect or if I would be adequate for the situation. My language skills were minimal at best, and I felt wholly inadequate, knowing that any words I could offer would most likely be misunderstood.

When we arrived at the crumbling building of a hospital, I was taken to the bedside of a person who was unconscious and dying. There was no family or friend present. I was the only one there. My host explained to me that the dying man was his neighbour and they had been friends for many years. He had spent the day at hospital with his friend and had only left him in order to come get me at the airport.

We had never met. I knew nothing about the person at whose bedside I stood and whose shallow breathing I measured. Yet, in a way that I couldn't express, I knew we weren't strangers in this moment, when life was ending we all stood within the same circle of faith.

As I began the beautiful, simple and gentle liturgy of anointing and the prayers for the dying, I also knew we weren't alone. The whole community was present; the community in which we always stood, whose prayers and loving presence always surrounded us. Here, in the silence of the night, we not only entered the mystery of death but the power of God’s guidance.

I knew that even if I had not been able to come to Moldova that day, this man would not have been alone. Whatever our circumstances, this is true.

This is Christ's gift to us; in the mystery of His Communion the wound of our loneliness is healed.

Holy Lord, show us that we have nothing to fear, for with You we are never alone. Help us to see that our community of faith is global and transcends all borders, forever surrounding us and upholding us. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. We pray in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen

Dying Alone

Words of Comfort for the Dying

Having a Good Death

Helping to Ease The Pain

Spots Or Wrinkles

2010-04-08T01:56:00.000+01:00

Spots Spots Spots! My teenage daughter sees things I cannot see. She’s certain that the moment one spot goes away there’s another lurking somewhere deep from within, ready to leap out. But I tell her truthfully; I can’t see any on her beautiful complexion.

‘Oh Daddy!’ she’ll sigh. And on it goes; typical of a self-conscious teenager.

It’s no different for adults. There’s a bevy of things for us to worry about. For example, watch the news for ten minutes. Or closer to home, take a look in the mirror: It's either pimples or wrinkles! You finally get rid of the one and then it’s time for the other to start showing up and unfortunately wrinkles don't go away, they just invite all their friends!

Trials and tribulations, irritations, and aggravations: That's life, but only one side of it. Because hidden inside every trouble and every aggravation is an opportunity just waiting to be noticed and taken hold of.

They’re an invitation from God to let go of what doesn't matter or doesn't work, and to search for what does matter and what can bring us joy and freedom. It’s His invitation to focus on straightening out what's behind the face, what's inside the head and deep within your heart.

Sometimes there are pains or frustrations that must be lived with; we can't make them go away. What's the opportunity there? Perhaps it's an invitation to relax in the Lord; to give ourselves over to Him at long last. Perhaps it's an invitation to let go of our obsessive perfectionism or our excessive need to control and focus on what really matters.

Each of us has our own special collection of stresses and hurts, and we know them well. But have we looked behind them? Have we searched in faith for the invitation God has wrapped inside them?

If we haven't, we're wasting a lot of time on pain and disappointment. That isn't what God wants for us. He is offering us joy and freedom for the taking, here and now. Look a little deeper and you'll find it, wrapped discretely inside your troubles.

If you look, you'll find it. I promise you it's there!
.

Loving Father, it’s so easy to become laboured with life’s wrinkles. Teach us to accept what we cannot change. Grant us the wisdom to see beyond ourselves, that we may reach out to others and bring Your world closer. Amen

Thank You Sarah!

Music is a Gift from God

The Book in the Attic

Happy Xmas !

2009-12-12T20:44:00.000Z

Here we are in the midst of a beautiful Advent and I’ve heard my first cranky retort regarding a Christmas card. A very kind and dear lady stood over me as I was seated at my desk this morning. She had pinched between her fingers, as if she were holding a soiled nappy, an envelope. ‘Look!’ she exclaimed! ‘How offensive!’

Curiously I took the envelope in my hand. On the back were the handwritten words ‘Happy Xmas!’ and the sender had hand drawn a small cross. Inside was a lovely card bearing an image of a Greek icon depicting Christ.

It’s so easy for us to become caught up in our secular world that we often lose track of, or even patience for, understanding of the world around us. In this case the sender of the card had created, in my opinion, a rather thoughtful use of their time. The first letter in the Greek word for Christ is ‘chi’ and the Greek letter for ‘chi’ is represented by a symbol similar to the letter ‘X’ in the modern Roman alphabet. Therefore, ‘Xmas’ is certainly an appropriate demonstration of their sincerity and creativity in sending a Greek icon image as a Christmas card.

Just as one might use ‘Xian’ as an alternative for the word ‘Christian,’ perhaps there had been even more thoughtfulness on the part of the sender who may have seen herself caught in a quagmire of political correctness. It’s hard to say.

But if we’re forced to live in a world where we may no longer speak from the heart, write from the heart, and love from the heart, out of fear as to whether it will cause someone else offence, we may find ourselves simply no longer bothering to communicate at all.

And wouldn’t that make our world sad.

Loving and forgiving Lord, we await Your coming. As we move from this darkness, shedding our failings, let us reach out to others without restrictions or judgement. Cleanse our hearts, alight our souls, that we may move to that joyous day when Your Son comes to us. Amen

How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

Moving From Darkness to Light

Denying Christmas

Preparing For Christmas

2009-12-12T20:40:00.000Z

According to Greek mythology, King Augeus owned a stable with 3,000 oxen. Their stalls had not been cleaned out for 30 years—hence our English word Augean, which refers to something exceedingly filthy.

Hercules, the mythical strong man, was commanded to clean the Augean stable in a single day. When He first saw the stable, he was dismayed by its size, filthiness, and steaming stench.

As he thought about how he would undertake such a task, he noticed that the stable was located between two great rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneus. So Hercules applied his great strength and worked throughout the day, diverting the rivers so that they flowed through the great building. And within a short time the rushing waters flushed the stable clean.

The story is a myth, of course, but myths by their very nature preserve the yearnings of the cultures that embrace and perpetuate them. I believe the story is reflective of our own longing to have the accumulated waste and filth washed from our lives.

At this time, when we are moving from the darkness at the beginning of Advent, to the light of Christ’s birth, we are reminded of the powerful river of forgiveness that flows from the cross. Nothing - no defilement whatsoever, can withstand the cleansing and healing flow that comes from our relationship with the living Christ within us.

As we once again prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, perhaps it’s time to first cleanse ourselves. By lightening that load we’re carrying, perhaps we’ll gain a greater perspective on what we really should value on Christmas day.

Loving Father, give me courage to confess, to bare my heart to You. Forgive my transgressions, Oh Lord, that I may use my renewed life to serve You and be a living image of Your word. Amen

It's a Wonderful Life!

Moving From Darkness to Light

Faith is Not a Crutch For Living

Loneliness Comes In Many Flavours

2009-09-03T11:19:00.000+01:00

Over the past few weeks I have been visiting someone who is incarcerated in one of Her Majesty's Prisons. It reminded me that it has been several months since I last wrote to my friend Larry.

Larry is a murderer. Thirty-three years ago he and two other boys burned down an army recruitment centre in protest against the Vietnam War. Someone died in the fire. Larry didn't start the fire. But because he knew what the others had planned and he went with them, he was equally culpable. And in the blink of an eye, an innocent person lay dead. A senseless tragedy all around.

I met Larry when I volunteered to participate in an American university ministry outreach programme one summer. Our goal was to visit prisons and to share religious services. Larry admitted that he first came to our service out of boredom. But later he came because he felt the need. When I announced that I was returning home he asked me if I would write him. I promised that I would, not realising that my, at that time probably half-sincere promise, would end up lasting decades.

Today, nothing has changed in his physical life. He is just an ageing convict: no longer wild, no longer as convinced as he was when he was young that he doesn't need anyone or anything. The prisons are full of them: old men who did terrible things in their youth but are now just old men, who have problems with their feet like other old men have, whose backs and knees hurt, who tire easily. Couldn't rob a bank or assault someone if they tried, but also couldn't do much else. Frozen in one place by choices they made long ago, frozen in their own lives.

Larry comes to mind often. I'm sure every minister has noticed that visiting someone in a nursing home feels much the same as visiting someone in a prison. It's also not unlike visiting a seafarer on a ship.

This is odd, you think at first, noticing that you're saying the same things to a convicted murderer that you said yesterday to a sweet ancient lady with a broken hip: looking at family photographs, chatting about the food, about how they pass the time, about the past, carefully about the future. But no, it's not odd. Neither of them can leave. Each has lost the life they knew. Each is learning the hard way, what it means to live one day at a time.

And then you remember that there really is no easy way to learn that.

Lord God, under the shadow of Your wings, let us hope. Your love supports us when there is no one – no one to share a word, or an embrace, or a smile. Bless all who suffer from such loneliness. Enrich their lives with a friend or a stranger who will spend a moment caring. In those moments Your love shines through, the world is reborn, and Christ is known. Amen

It's Life Jim But Not As We Know It

Freedom For All...Almost

Fast Tracks To Hell

Loneliness

Anger Moldova Prisons Lonliness Anglicans Prison Ministry

The Church Universal

2009-09-01T11:58:00.000+01:00

Here in Britain our Bank Holiday is upon us and in America Labour Day will soon follow. For many it’s our reminder that summer is drawing to a close. And for each of us there certainly will be many enduring memories; gatherings of friends and family, open air concerts, the Proms, sporting events, even demonstrations and marches; or possibly crowds of people on beaches enjoying themselves.

The Bible has some notable crowd scenes and it's interesting to see what the biblical authors make of them. In this reading from Acts, (Acts 2:4-8) people have gathered from all over the world for the Jewish religious holiday of Pentecost. What they witness is the birth of the Christian church.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem devout Jews drawn from every nation under Heaven. At this sound, a crowd of them gathered and were bewildered because each one heard his own language spoken. They were amazed and in astonishment exclaimed: ‘Surely these people who are speaking are all Galileans. How is it that each of us can hear them in his own native language?’

Peter stood up with the eleven and in a loud voice addressed the crowd: 'This is what the prophet Joel spoke of: In the last days says God, I will pour out my spirit on all mankind. And your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord on that day shall be saved.’

For the author Luke, one of the really important things about the church is that it is indeed universal and not just some local organisation. Luke describes the birth of Jesus as taking place when all the world was gathered to be taxed; And now his picture of the church is like a United Nations meeting with simultaneous translation: a place to celebrate what we all hold, and look forward to with common purpose.

Whatever church you may attend, whatever 'flavour' you may claim as your own, remember - we are all His children.

Lord of all our days, help us to appreciate the diversity of people and languages in our society and to see that as something to celebrate. May we and all Your people honour what unites us and share a common hope for the future of Your world. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Music is a Gift from God

The Good Samaritan

Anglican Prayers Anglicans Anglican Thoughts

Not That Old Chestnut Again!

2009-08-28T10:29:00.000+01:00

In a recent edition of the diocesan magazine, Crux, the Bishop of Hulme, The Rt Rev. Stephen Lowe laments that the clergy are working too hard and are risking ‘burn-out’ or severe strains on their marriage.

Our cemeteries are filled with clergy who would love to have shared the same news with us. Unfortunately, a few of them probably dropped whilst running between countless PCC meetings, advisory groups, church fetes, tombolas, school assemblies, stewardship programmes, outward giving planning, evangelism initiatives, choir meetings, funerals for people whom they’ve never met, weddings, pastoral appointments for depressed individuals, failing marriages, infidelities, feed the homeless events, refugee conferences, and somehow in the midst of all this, following their daily ‘office!’

Bishop Lowe went on to say that some clergy never take holidays and he personally knows some clergy families who feel that they always come second. Well, bless his socks! I couldn’t agree more.

But here is where we seem to reach a fork in the road. The venerable Bishop suggests that clergy’s terms of employment could change radically over the next few years, ‘coming much closer to those enjoyed by the rest of the workforce.’ He even stated that the Church might consider imposing European regulations limiting the working week to a maximum of 48 hours.

This week’s news has shown some of the appalling conditions under which our military personnel work - often 24 hours a day, or in some cases until they drop, be it by a bullet or exhaustion. But did these soldiers not understand what the conditions would be before they enlisted in the military?

Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with Bishop Lowe regarding the potential for burn-out. It is an undisputable fact this happens. But I also recognise that when humans feel they need to see their doctor they will not settle for a brief chat with the chemist at Boots. Trying to move clergy to a working schedule of hours could be compared with suggesting humanity try ‘DIY’ religion, which is already part of society’s greater problem.

So what’s the answer? I don’t feel there is a straightforward answer. And since I’ve spouted off with my own opinion, you would be quite within your rights to ask me what do I do?

It’s simple. I do every thing I can to serve everyone I can for as long as I can, until I recognise I’m about to drop. And then I try to take a day’s break…sometimes two, to regenerate, recharge, renew, and refresh, and then I get on with it again.

Why? Because what I do is a vocation - a calling to serve. It’s a joy to be part of people’s lives, to help when there is a need, to celebrate their joys and to mourn their sorrows. And sometimes, together, we find a moment, or an answer, that helps us have a little more understanding of God’s wonderful world around us.

Christ Jesus, teach me to be generous
Teach me to love and serve You as You deserve,
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest
To labour and to look for no reward,
Except that of knowing that I do Your Holy Will. Amen

When We Need A Little Help

When U Turns Are OK

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Remembering 9/11
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Religious Leaders Anglican Prayers

Anglicans

The Power of Words

2009-08-17T14:10:00.000+01:00

The sun in the sky, the warm air, the cadence of the sea as it touches the shore, the sounds of people laughing, and a good book. That's a real holiday for me. A good book - I am constantly amazed by writers who have the capacity to put information together, weave it into a whole and lead the reader through a story.

I was interested to read recently reflections from an author who has written a biography. Her reflections were about how biography influences the reader in their opinions of the main character and how that person's reputation is in the hands of the biographer. She expressed it in terms of the main character's afterlife being in the hands of the writer.

The thought has remained with me. Clearly, I am not a 'writer' and if I aspired to any kind of writing it would not be biography. I consider myself as an 'essayist,' sharing what I see with my eyes and feel with my heart.

But there is a sense in which we are all biographers, writing the reputations and creating the after-lives of those whom we know. We do that writing in the pictures we paint, in the stories we tell about them, in the tone of voice we use about them, in what we choose to tell and what we choose to leave out.

In whispered and suggestive tones we can contribute to the destruction of another person's reputation. We can so easily set in motion a chain of thought and conversation that sees to it that the other person's reputation is destroyed.

No wonder the New Testament warns us that the tongue is a fire. In James we read: The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Lord God, help us with our tongues, which misrepresent so easily, both in life and after. Give us the integrity to know that we hold each other’s after-life in trust and that You mean us for resurrection and not for death. Teach us how to be bringers of life in the words that we use today. Amen.

And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature... James 3:6

When The Church Sins

Who Are We Forgetting?

When We're Needed Most

The Best Waitress In The World

When The Church Sins

2009-04-09T17:47:00.000+01:00

Look around your surroundings and you’ll see problems occurring everywhere. There may be political unrest where you are. You may be having problems within your relationship or your business. You may be struggling financially. There are so many problems everywhere you go; who wouldn’t want to escape?

And some come to church for just that - to escape. Or at least in the past, many did. But the church has problems too. Your offerings aren’t enough; you don’t feel accepted because the people who’ve been in the church for so many years have left you feeling an outsider; it has driven you away. And for some, what I regret to hear most of all, you’ve been refused either a funeral, or baptism for your child because you’ve never come to the church.

I received an email overnight from a local parish priest not too far from where I live, essentially complaining because I recently celebrated the service of a high-profile funeral in his area and he did not. He wanted to know why I had been requested and he hadn't. And then he went on to speak of the continuing pastoral care 'he' needed to provide.

I was left scratching my head. The deaths occured over six weeks ago! And it was only now, after the media and press of the funeral, that the minister is asking about the family? Not once have they ever heard from him, not once did he ever make efforts to enquire among the funeral industry about the funeral, but now he wants to know why no one 'came to him.' And perhaps saddest of all, his email extended no hand of support, care, or even Christian ecumenism and camaraderie. Bless his socks.

Everything I’ve mentioned above, everything, has a reason or excuse, on both sides. I suppose it’s just simple to say we all have problems, now get on with it.

During Jesus’ time, there were plenty of problems too. There were interpersonal problems, community problems, and there were certainly problems within the church.

Jesus objected to the moneychangers and the traders in the temple because they refused to accept the offerings of the common people. That child of God had laboured hard and travelled far to make a simple offering to God. When he got to the temple, when he got to the ‘business’ side of the church, he was told, ‘Your offering is not quite good enough. You need a special coin. You need an unblemished offering.’

This is where the church can so often fail us. It is where the church itself commits a sin by not accepting the simple and authentic offering of the people. Sadly there are many churches that run only as businesses, or dare I say, exclusive member groups, because they’ve become lost in their own institutionalism.

The church is supposed to accept us even if we are imperfect. True religion is supposed to accept us, even if we are imperfect and blemished. In fact, true religion is supposed to accept us especially if we are imperfect and blemished, especially if we have problems.

Offerings to God are not just monetary. Offerings come in serving others, reaching out to a stranger, listening and devoting time to your children. Offerings are not only saying that you love someone, but showing them as well.

The body of Christ accepts everything we offer, the good, the bad, the blessings and the sins.
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Who Are We Forgetting?
It's So Easy To Judge Others
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?
Comforting Words For The Dying

Be True To Yourself

2009-02-26T10:37:00.000Z

If you’ve used the Internet for a long time, surely you will have received several pieces of ‘Spam’ mail where you are being invited to become the beneficiary of a huge financial estate. And in exchange for your participation you’ve been promised a percentage of the proceeds. All you have to do is say that you are either the relative or rightful beneficiary of the estate.

Of course, there’s nothing there. It’s all a sham. And you will be severely out of pocket, having had paid numerous storage fees, processing fees, etc. Some end up paying much higher costs–with their lives.

There’s something unique about these frauds. The only way you can participate is by surrendering your own values and becoming just like them–a thief. This is why when so many people get scammed out of their money, they don’t report it, because to do so is to announce that not only are they inherently stupid, but their morals and ethics are no different than the criminals they’ve joined forces with.

And it is in this darkest moment that you realise that through compromising your values, you have failed yourself. To be a person of honour, you must first be true to yourself.

This is the same advice that Jesus has given us, not by His words, but by His deeds and how He lived His life. Up until His final hours, Jesus could have saved His life and lived a long, comfortable life just by ‘adapting the truth a little.’ He could have saved His life and gone home to His mother, found a wife, and been a wonderful father. But He would have lost His soul. He knew that the deal sounded good, but that it was a bad bargain.

On Ash Wednesday, we marked our foreheads with ashes in the sign of a cross. It signified an acknowledgement of our own sinfulness and our journey to salvation. That mark will serve as a lifetime of integrity, if we let it.

Living each day truthfully: not just telling the truth, but being true, is the only way of living that will grow into eternity!

Our Father, help us to overcome our weaknesses and sins. Give us confidence in Your love, that we may always follow You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

We Just Won The Lottery

Busyness

2008-12-22T10:42:00.004Z

The very 'busyness' of ordinary life today can make us weary and feel overburdened, and that can be a cumulative experience, which gets harder to bear as we get older.

Over the next few days we are in a frantic rush to finalise our Christmas shopping, getting out those last cards, checking the larder for all the items we need for the Christmas dinner -and on it goes.

But what really grinds us down very often isn't simply hard work, but an underlying weariness of spirit which saps our energy and enthusiasm for life. We can lose our sparkle that we long for each Christmas season and even the simple tasks and challenges, which are meant to be wrapped in love, seem to be too much to face.

If we want to keep a proper perspective and live life to the full, we need time in the midst of our 'busyness' to renew our spirit and draw on the living waters of God's grace and presence which truly refresh and invigorate us. The prophet Isaiah was well aware of that when he said that God 'gives strength to the wearied and strengthens the powerless. Those who hope in the Lord renew their strength. They put out wings like eagles, they run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.' And Jesus also says to each one of us, 'Come to me all you who are overburdened and I will give you rest.'

Lord, give us the grace not to be discouraged by our weariness but to hear and respond to the coming of Your Son where we will be refreshed and strengthened by His grace and presence. Amen.

Preparing For Christmas

Suffer The Children

Christmas Investments

2008-12-20T13:18:00.000Z

The apostle Paul wrote rather pointedly: 'None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master... Both in life and in death we are the Lord's.' None of us possesses either our life or our gifts as absolute possessions, but as loans from a generous God who gave us both life and gifts for a specific purpose, namely, to be shared with His family. To decline to share our life and to carry our gifts to those who need them is not only bad stewardship, it is stealing from those for whom the gifts were intended in the first place.

So where do you stand on the gift continuum? Are you sitting on your gifts and hoarding them for some unnamed rainy day, or are you learning the God-like joy of giving your gifts and talents away? Where you stand on this most basic question is probably the key to how and where you'll be spending your eternity, so it will be wise to consider your answer well.

Choosing The Right Christmas Present

Reaching Out to Children in Need

Suffer The Children

I Promise

2008-12-18T09:30:00.000Z

Keeping a promise is rarely easy, and sometimes those who make promises are not equipped to keep them or don't even intend to keep them. The flood of divorces and the torrents of lawsuits that plague our society are eloquent testimony to the fragility of promises and the unlikelihood of many of them ever being kept.

It can render us cynical and disinclined to trust anyone, perhaps even God. So we need to listen to the words of the old man Simeon. Simeon had waited all his life for Jesus' coming, and he'd never ceased trusting that God would be faithful to His promise of a Redeemer. At last the child came, in the arms of His parents, for consecration to the Lord as the Law prescribed. And Simeon gave thanks, 'Now, Master, You can dismiss your servant in peace; You have fulfilled your word....'

God is absolutely faithful in His love of every one of us. Even when we turn away and do not walk with Him, God does not turn from us. He waits and waits and waits.

Trust that. He is waiting for you now, hoping that you will give His love for you an opening. If you do, He will show Himself to you in His own way and in His own time, and He will give you what you need to walk with Him faithfully.
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Preparing For Christmas

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

Time is Too Short!

2008-12-17T01:15:00.000Z

Sixty, they say, is the new forty. Our life expectancy is ever lengthening, so much so that there is talk of postponing pensions to allow for this.

Not surprising then that mortality has ceased to feature among the options of a materialist world! Hip replacements and other spare parts ensure a minimum risk of our being ‘sans eyes, sans teeth, sans everything,’ or at least the appearance thereof.

The isolation of the elderly also helps us in this deceit as they are moved progressively from family homes in the wider community into apartments and then to residential and nursing homes before the exit. Yet the fantasy image sold to those just retiring is still one of eternal leisure - a place in the sun, or at least in the country, and an eternal youthfulness that will never fail them – what Irish folklore calls ‘Tír na nÓg.’

I must seem a bit of a spoilsport then when at funerals I read the Psalmist’s words about the 3 score years and ten, or perhaps 4 score that are our allotted span, and even more so when I suggest subtracting from those allocated 7 or 8 decades the number that we have already used, in full or part - for no one really wants to know that life is so very short or that it slips away so quickly.

This isn’t meant to bring gloom on a Wednesday morning but simply to underline the importance of grasping each passing moment, for time is too short to waste on angers, disagreements, or even on fleeting worldly ambitions.

And that’s why one of my favourite parts of Dickens is where the elderly Scrooge wakes up to find that he is still alive. The bed was his own. The room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the time before him was his own in which to make amends. ‘I will live in the past, the present and the future,’ he says. ‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, as merry as a schoolboy.’

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Gracious God, You have given us the miracle of renewing life. Help us to see that the value of our lives are measured in how we live and not how long. As we await the birth of Your son, may we always be guided by Your gentle breath. Amen

How Good Are You at Giving Gifts?

Moving From Darkness to Light

Wanted: Part-Time Wife

You Say Tomato

2008-12-16T09:25:00.001Z

It really does appear to be the case that things are not what they seem. A scientist friend of mine was explaining to me that a red tomato, for example, is not actually red. We see it as red because red light waves can’t be absorbed by the tomato, like the other colour waves in the light spectrum. These red light waves are bounced back at us, so colour-wise we see what the tomato isn't, rather than what it is. The colour tells us more about what's happening on the surface than it does about the deeper nature of the fruit. His comment left me in deep thought for the rest of the day.

If it's difficult to fully understand the nature of what's in front of our very eyes, how much harder is it to know what we mean when we talk about that elusive term 'God?'

Throughout the centuries men and women of every faith and none at all have projected on to God a variety of images - some light, some dark. Wise people recognise that what 'obviously' seems to be the identity of God, may in fact be more an indication of what God is not, rather than what God is. This suggests that we should be cautious in our claims about God.

I can't help wondering if, contrary to popular belief, Holy Scripture doesn't give us the identity of God, but constantly reminds that God is more than we can ever imagine.

You think God is Almighty; here we are waiting for Him to come into the world as a baby. You think God is King of all creation; here He is crucified and dying on a cross. You think God loves the righteous; here He is eating and living among sinners. The message seems to be that the minute we think we've got God pinned down, all we've done is crucify the very nature of what we're trying to express.

During this Advent week, now is the time to increase our awareness of how we bring Christ into our lives. Let us open our hearts to allow God's spirit to live within us.

Preparing for Christmas

Advent - Moving from Darkness to Light

How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

Gobbledegook

2008-12-15T11:12:00.001Z

This morning on telly, the weather presenter rather tongue-in-cheek said ‘I'm 90 percent right—10 percent of the time.’ Of course, that's a ridiculous statement, but some people resort to that type of gobbledegook to cover up a poor record. As proof, all you have to do is listen to some of our world leaders!

However, if you look deep into the Bible you’ll find its prophetic record is extremely accurate. Let's look at a few examples.

The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) at the time specified (Daniel 9:25). Infants in Bethlehem were massacred as prophesied (Jeremiah 31:15). Jesus went down into Egypt and returned (Hosea 11:1). Isaiah foretold Christ's ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2). Zechariah predicted His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt (Zechariah 9:9) and His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12-13). David had never seen a Roman crucifixion, yet in Psalm 22, under divine inspiration, he penned a graphic portrayal of Jesus' death. Isaiah 53 gives a detailed picture of our Lord's rejection, mistreatment, death, and burial. These few prophecies (and there are many more) should impress us with the reliability of the Bible.

As all these predictions have been fulfilled, let us also accept with some reasonable confidence what the Bible says about the future.

He is with you. Always. Until the end of time.

Heavenly Father, help us to trust in Your unchanging word. Though all things shall pass away, Your Word shall stand forever. Amen

How to Choose the Best Christmas Present

Advent- Moving From Darkness to Light

Seeking Rainbows

2008-12-12T14:02:00.000Z

This past year has presented so many challenges. The older I become the greater the sense of urgency I feel in my mission. ‘If’ is a word I often use as I dream, or sometimes fret, about all the things I’d like to achieve. My ‘Moldova list’ is endless and my prayers for help are constant. Recently as I was driving through the pelting rain, across the lowlands of East Sussex, I somewhat jokingly asked God to give me a brief little sign that I was on the right track.

I’m certain we can manifest a plethora of ‘signs’ in almost every thing we see. But I was profoundly touched by the sight of a rainbow that began to stretch across the chalkened sky. It was just the message I needed at that moment.

In the Bible the rainbow is a great symbol of hope, the gift that God gave to Noah and his companions as a sign of His promise never to abandon them. It's also a sign of God's engagement with brokenness. And shows that even in dividedness there can be the possibility of something new and creative, the colours that make up light have a beauty in their separateness as well as when they merge.

Whenever I see a rainbow it reminds me that there is always a new perspective and a new sense of hope in the changes we face in our lives. It also reminds me that God never promised that our lives would be easy; He simply said that He would be with us.

Death is Only a Step

How to Choose the Right Christmas Present

Suffer the Children

Come Home

2008-12-11T01:00:00.005Z

The faces of the children in Moldova reveal the suffering they've endured. For so many of them their young lives have been completely devoid of any warmth or love or care or even direction.

Many of them arrive in the night, having been picked up by police - found wandering the streets; lost, confused and hungry. They've been carted across borders, sometimes literally in crates. They have no identification papers and due to the absence of any schooling or education, only what they learned from their parents, who sometimes have virtually no education at all, the child is incapable of even telling where they're from. And it's certain there will have been no missing child report filed with authorities, because it was probably the male figure in the household who sold the child for food, money and alcohol.

When a child arrives, a houseparent instinctively knows not to ask 'where is home?' There isn't one. And when they're brought to us, it's a gut-wrenching fact they seldom show fear on their faces. I'll never forget the words a child said to me several years ago: ' You can't be afraid of something that has already happened.'

So herein begins their new lives. Granted, it may not be a Norman Rockwell image, but it will start with the most important elements of life- the foundations. There is warmth, care, encouragement, the understanding of mutual respect and boundaries - both personal and interactive. And most importantly there will be the most solid foundation of all, the anchor of a home that is built upon Christ's love.

It is that anchor that will carry them the rest of their lives. No matter what the 'bump' or what the challenge, whether they're 10 or 20 years old, the old house will be theirs to come 'home' to. Long after they've been placed with a loving family, and even possibly grow up to have their own children, they will know where they found safety, security, and the message of Christ's love.

I firmly believe we all too easily sanitise the image of Jesus and the children and turn it into an image of softness and bliss. Personally, I agree with Philippe Aries' historical perception of Jesus.

However we may perceive Christ's birth, either through the stories of wise men and stars and so on, or pathetic child born of a disgraced mother in a grotty shed, what is undeniable is that Jesus lived, grew up as an outstanding teacher, healed the sick, embraced the lives of children, and then because He got in the way of the powerful and religious, died a painful death on the cross.

It was then that rumours started appearing that He was alive and many claimed to have seen Him. The church began and the same experience of Resurrection in the lives of millions began to reveal itself. And we pray that all whom we reach in our own lives become able to know and live this message.

Of course, having such an anchor does not mean that our troubles end. The point about an anchor is that it holds the frail vessel when the storms rage around us. Our security lies not in us but in the love, mercy and goodness of God.

Whatever our resolutions and whatever our journey may be for this coming year, may God, who called us out of darkness, into His marvellous light, bless us and fill us with His mission of peace.
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How to Find the Right Christmas Present

The Children's Story

It's a Wonderful Life

A Simple Exercise

2008-12-09T12:21:00.000Z

I'd like for you to humour me for just a moment and try this simple little exercise. And no, it won't require you to dislodge your bum from the seat you're sitting in right now.

I'd like you to cross your arms please. Just fold them over your chest. Now, note which hand has ended up tucked under one arm and which hand is slightly on top of the other arm.

Thank you. Now, I'd like for you to cross your arms again please. But this time I'd like for you to reverse the process, switching the positions of where your hands end up. (And yes, I've already had someone question my sanity this week over something I wrote; please, just humour me for just a few more seconds.)

Ok. Now, which way is the 'right' way?

If your answer is 'there is no right way, it's just different,' then well done you! If your answer is that one of the ways is the right way and the other is wrong, then I feel we should talk.

Ultimately, this is a challenge we're facing on a global level. We face it in our homes, in our societies, our work ethic, cultures, governments, and even in our faith. We become addicted to our own patterns, behaviours, practices and beliefs to such an extent that 'our' way becomes the only way.

Sadly, this pervasive mindset is creating such vast divisions throughout the world that it's hindering our growth and blinding our ability to see and communicate with others and with God. It causes us to fence ourselves in and build walls to keep others out.

At schools children actively exclude other children who do not wear the 'in' labels and brand them as outcasts. Tourists travel to another country and ridicule the culture because they don't prepare a food item the way we're accustomed. Businesses merge with foreign companies and try to force training that fails to acknowledge cultural and national customs. And leaders of countries use powerful strategies to incite its people into believing 'their' views are the only acceptable views. (Remember a certain leader saying -'You're either with us or against us.')

And what about faith? Have you ever found yourself blocking out someone who is trying to share their personal journey in finding God in their lives, merely because they come from a denomination that is different than your own? Or have you believed that the way someone else worships God is wrong because everyone around you has been conditioned to think so? No single church or denomination holds the monopoly on truth.

By refusing to acknowledge that God speaks to us in many ways we are merely prohibiting our own growth and often the growth of others. Perhaps the first step is to recognise that sometimes, the way we look at something isn't wrong, it's just 'different.'

Oh God of wisdom, You speak to us in so many wonderful ways. Help us to listen to Your voice and to look for You in everything we do and everyone we meet. Let our eyes see the goodness You have created and with Your guidance, may we become a lamp for those without light. Amen

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? I Corinthians:1-3

We Just Won The Lottery

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

The Right Kind of Pain Medication

Choosing The Best Christmas Present

2008-12-05T09:41:00.000Z

It's a reality that so many people spend a majority of their time preparing for Christmas by trying to find the right presents. Searching, buying, hiding, wrapping, are the main activities in the build-up to Christmas Day, and something that closely resembles panic sets in when, as seems to happen even with the best laid plans, these tasks are all squeezed into the last few days before, or even into Christmas Eve.

I too share some guilt in this. My first inclination would be to blame my heavy calendar. However, the truth is I'm hopelessly disorganised when it comes to trying to decide what I want to give to whom.

It seems important to give the right gift, and yet as the wonderfully acerbic poet John Betjeman memorably puts it in his famous poem 'Christmas,' we often end up giving or getting 'bath salts and inexpensive scent and hideous tie so kindly meant.'

Betjeman isn't meaning to dismiss these humble gifts, however. His point is that the inadequacy of the things we give at Christmas does not matter, because no gift could possibly compare with 'this most tremendous tale of all,' the gift of love eternal in a recognizably vulnerable human form.

And yet, it still seems true that we all want our gifts to be valued and remembered. Though Betjeman is right to think that no gift of ours stands in comparison with God's gift, the desire that our gifts have meaning behind them has a good theological basis as well.

Giving is a way of putting ones self aside and making others matter. I choose the gift and pay for it, but what I choose and how much I pay is decided by your wants and needs. The right gift will always reveal our knowledge of the person who receives it.

And so it is with the Incarnation itself. It is a great mystery how the divine could become human, but however we understand it, it is essential to see that at its heart is God's setting aside His divine nature in order to enter fully into the humanity of His creatures.

May all your gifts be wrapped with love.

In lighting your Advent Candle:

Oh Father rejoicing, we celebrate the promise of Your Son.
Let the light of this candle remind us of the Christ to come
Brightening our way and guiding us by His truth.

May Christ our Saviour bring light into the darkness of our world, bringing peace among nations, understanding and tolerance among faiths, and respect for the living breathing planet you have given us.

We pray this though Christ our Lord. Amen

Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

It's a Wonderful Life

A Lesson in Forgiving

Embarrassment

2008-12-04T12:07:00.000Z

There is not one of us who cannot look back on certain moments in our past that make us blush with embarrassment or downright shame. Sometimes it's a matter as simple as a foolish idea that we clung to far too tenaciously and far too long.

Sometimes it's a hurt that we inflicted on someone without even thinking. Sometimes it goes much deeper and involves a profoundly wrong and harmful choice, whose consequences are still reverberating through the years. Whatever the issue, the sadness and shame can run deep and can linger for years, leaving us with the feeling that we'll never be done with it and never leave it behind.

God knows the darkness of soul that our mistakes can burden us with, and the loss of heart as well. He sees into our souls and knows our sins even more clearly than we do. He wants to heal our hearts and to wash away our sins. He wants to make us new, from the inside out, and He can do that if we will let Him. So relax in the Lord. Give Him your heart, and let Him give you a new beginning.

It's a Wonderful Life

Why is Life so Hard?

How To Be The Best Waitress

Big World Small Boat

Giving Gifts

2008-12-02T09:48:00.000Z

The apostle Paul wrote rather pointedly: 'None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master... Both in life and in death we are the Lord's.'

None of us possesses either our life or our gifts as absolute possessions, but as loans from a generous God who gave us both life and gifts for a specific purpose, namely, to be shared with His family.

To decline to share our life and to carry our gifts to those who need them is not only bad stewardship, it is stealing from those for whom the gifts were intended in the first place.

So where do you stand on the gift continuum? Are you sitting on your gifts and hoarding them for some unnamed rainy day, or are you learning the God-like joy of giving your gifts and talents away?

Where you stand on this most basic question is probably the key to how and where you'll be spending your eternity, so it will be wise to consider your answer well.

Gracious Lord, You have bestowed us with the greatest gifts of all. Help us to use our talents and gifts wisely and to share them with joy and compassion. Amen

Advent - Moving From Darkness to Light

The Power of Words

There's More Than Just Courage

Taking Inventory

2008-12-01T11:03:00.001Z

When my children were small I would often take them to a park to play. It would all start out in perfect harmony, but it was inevitable that eventually, an argument would ensue. The subject of dispute would invariably be over who was in ‘control’ and who claimed ownership and control of which toy.

How strangely similar this can sound to the relationships between adults and governments.

Wanting what someone else has, to the point of resentment, frustration, and even hatred is no stranger to the human scene. Our Cemeteries and history books are filled with the sad evidence of this.

The gifts given to us here and now are God’s blueprint for us, His guidance for each of us to build a satisfying and productive life. And the best part is that we can make that life with what we’ve got, and without taking or longing for what anyone else has.

When is the last time you took an inventory of what you really have? Have you possibly lost track of being able to identify what makes a difference in your life and what is nothing more than decoration?

If you can’t do it mentally, try writing on something as simple as a sticky pad. What really matters in your life? Name them clearly and give thanks for them. And then use them, share them, as God intended.

You’ll be busy for the rest of your life, and content as well.

Heavenly Father, You have placed such incredible beauty before us and Your hand is seen in everything good. Help us to see our own gifts, which You have given us in ample supply. Guide us so that we may use our gifts to Your glory. We pray this in Your name. Amen

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Falling In Love At Clapham Junction

Finding Words Of Comfort

When We're Needed Most

Terrorism

2008-11-27T14:24:00.000Z

Terrorism. What is its purpose? Clearly, it is designed to intimidate and frighten its victims into living in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety.

This morning’s news reveals unfolding information regarding the terrorism attacks upon westerners at the Taj and Oberoi hotel, as well as several other key locations in Mumbai. Hotels, hospitals and railway stations have been attacked. A Rabbi, abducted from a Jewish community centre, is being held hostage.

Even as soldiers attempt to escort guests out of the hotels, terrorists have levelled their machine guns against the groups, spraying them with bullets. Television access has been cut off and Westerners have barricaded their bedroom doors with furniture whilst phoning media offices such as the BBC, CNN and Sky News, begging for help and information.

As this fearful scenario unfolds, one of the international news stations has already brought on several of their seemingly endless number of ‘consultants,’ all with grim faces and critical of whatever it is that is being done as a response to the unfolding story. This, even before the sun has risen on the East Coast of America.

‘Don’t travel’ is the most common admonishment. But sadly, that it precisely what the terrorists want. They want Western society to not only stay away – they want us to run in fear.

Whilst still an emerging nation with many internal challenges, such as the elimination of the caste system and the protection of women’s and children’s rights, India declares their freedoms are inviolate. Just as with most other countries in the world: they would not lightly accept a change to those freedoms, simply because there are those outside, or even within their nation, who wish to corrupt a civil society. And we should not lose track of the fact that this assault against innocent people is not simply an assault against India, it is an assault upon of all nations who fly the flag of democracy!

In Britain, we have already adapted to the realities of terrorism, violence and aggression, by our acceptance and recognition that we have the most extensive surveillance system in the world. In London and other major cities, virtually every street, every corner, mews, alleyway, etc., is monitored by overt and covert CCTV’s.

But for us to take any steps to impede the free movement or passage of a citizen would violate every principle of our society. More importantly, it would send a signal to terrorists that they are winning – that they are moving to the forefront of the minds of our citizens – that their strategy to create fear and doubt and misery is succeeding.

Terrorism must be and is being addressed as a multinational effort. The sharing of information between countries to track the movement of suspected terrorists is essential. And sadly, despite how much we agonise over the prospect of every citizen having to carry an identity card, it appears to be the only option of ever being able to really ascertain who a person is.

The tragic events occurring today should serve as a stark reminder that we live in uncertain times. Let us offer our prayers for those who are in fear and at the same time give thanks for the comforts we have.

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Loving God, Comfort those who are in fear today. Protect all who travel through this day, whether as passengers or as staff. Help us in our own fears and uncertainty, and bless us with the knowledge that we are always secure in Your love. Give wisdom, and strength to all those who work for peace throughout our lands. Amen

It's Life Jim But Not as We Know It

Thank You Sarah

When The Church Sins

Why is Life so Hard

2008-11-26T10:29:00.001Z

It is part of our social composition to want to better our lives. We’re constantly bombarded with advertising that strongly suggests that if we don’t have the latest gadgets, or the latest fashion statement, we may as well jump off a bridge…at least some perceive it this way.

We work hard and honestly and we struggle to make ends meet. But at times it seems as if we’re farther behind than when we started. As we watch the years pass by ever faster and faster, we can grow impatient and can even fall victim to despair: Why is life so hard? I try to do the right things, so why don't I have more to show for my efforts? Why do cheaters always prosper? Does God really know or care what's going on? What kind of friend is God? After all this time, what reason do I have for believing that virtue really pays?

The prophet Malachi summed up those fears and frustrations when he quoted some of his own contemporaries: 'It is vain to serve God; and what do we profit by keeping his command?' That is surely the way it seems at times. And when those times come, we need to have an answer that is deeply etched in our soul, an answer that comes from the inside.

That answer won't be there, on the inside, if we've been living our life totally on the outside. If our 'spirituality' has consisted of 'getting our visa stamped,' just showing up at church and putting in our time, then we won't have come to know the Lord, we won't have come to see the world through His eyes, and there will be no answers and no spiritual power within us.

If on the other hand, we've come to know not only the words, but the Lord who gives life and meaning to the words, then when the inevitable doubts and challenges come, we'll know the truth on the inside and no words will need to be spoken.

Our gracious God, we rejoice when we come to know You better. Remain within us throughout this day. Guide us, protect us and let Your love be our driving force always. Amen

It's So Easy to Judge Others

Who Are We Forgetting?

Words of Comfort for the Dying

Never Forgotten

2008-11-25T08:36:00.002Z

There are so many times in our lives when we struggle to achieve goals only to find that we’ve fallen flat on our faces. It happens in every facet of our lives. Oh, and sometimes, I tend to feel it happens even more so when you’re involved in charities.

People make promises and promises, never once seeming to realise that those ‘promises’ are accepted as truths by others, especially children. As a consequence, they become depended upon. And then they break that promise.

Having to tell a child that something is not going to happen because of a broken promise can be especially painful when it involves children who already have nothing in their lives. Some of the children claim that God has forgotten them, or that they’re being punished because they’re not ‘good enough.’ But as adults, we know this is not true.

In the days of King David and his son King Solomon, the Israelites were supremely confident that they were indeed God's chosen people. Anyone who doubted it need only look at the splendid temple that Solomon built and the elaborate ceremonies and sacrifices that went on there from dawn to dusk, year after year.

And then after Solomon's death came the division of the kingdom, north and south, and later the destruction of both kingdoms, with their populations carried off as captives in strange lands.

How far they had fallen, and how thoroughly alone they felt as they wept at night so far away from home. And worst of all, they were certain that their sins had put them there. They felt they deserved their misery, and it seemed as if it would never end. ‘God has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me,’ was their lament. But it wasn't true.

God spoke to them; ‘Could a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.’ And indeed, the Lord brought them home to their own land, and helped them rebuild their lives.

Sometimes we feel alone and forgotten, and sometimes we may jolly well deserve it. But, whatever the case, God never forgets us and He never withdraws from us.

Turn your eyes inward to where He lives and where He never leaves. And you will see: You are never alone.

Gracious and loving Lord, You are always with us. Lead us, guide us, teach us to accept Your mysteries. Protect us during our times of need. Forgive us when we fail. But always lead us back to Your light. We pray this in Your Son’s name. Amen

Angels Among Us

Who Are We Forgetting?

Exploited Children

Maybe You Need a Little Dog in Your Life!

We All Fail Sometimes

2008-11-21T09:10:00.002Z

There's a tradition which says that the Apostle Peter was in Rome when the Emperor Nero started a savage persecution of the Christian Church in 64 AD. Rome was on fire, and Peter started walking away from the burning ruins. He set out along the Appian Way, an old man now, weary from all his journeying, when Jesus met him, going back in the direction of the city.

'Quo vadis, Domine?' ('Where are you going, Lord?') Peter asked Jesus. 'I go to Rome to die for you,' came the reply. Peter, we're told, stopped and turned round slowly, and this time he didn't fail: he went back to Rome and death. Indeed when they came to crucify him, he asked to be executed upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same position as his Lord.

God's call - it's worth reflecting on the character of the disciple whom Jesus called to be the founder of His Church.

Peter wasn't one of those superhuman perfect beings who make you feel inferior as you contemplate their holiness and upright behaviour. In fact, Peter didn't make a very good Christian, and the Bible doesn't try to pretend otherwise. All through his life he was constantly failing, making a mess of things, letting down those he loved. Yet so often he picked himself up and carried on.

There are times when we all go through times of frustration and disillusionment. I think it's during those times in particular, I thank God for Peter, the one who despite his failures, never gave up the struggle.

Lord God, give us the persistence of Peter, that we may be brought daily nearer You, and fitted as may best be for the life of Heaven. Amen.

When The Church Sins

You Needn't Look Far

It Costs Nothing to Care

Milestones

2008-11-20T09:52:00.000Z

A friend wrote me to say he was preparing for his son’s wedding. My friend is in his sixties and a joyous event such as this represents a lovely milestone. It leads me to think of others – births, Baptisms, Confirmation, graduations, and any event that draws us forward, until we reach that time when we’re able to look back upon our journeys with sweet memories.

Through each of these, all of life’s possibilities seem stretched out before us, and most of their costs are still hidden from view. It’s so much like the beginning of a summer day: soft breezes, sweet smells, lush gardens and sunshine. And then before you know it, you’re in the autumn of your years and it’s time to prepare for the siege of winter.

If we’re working hard to be faithful to our goals, to God, and to one another, and trying to do our best and to share our gifts, we can become tired. And sometimes after a while, things that were fresh and new and even a joy can become a burden instead.

So how does this happen? Is it simply a matter of working too hard and getting tired? Not really. The real problem is losing our vision, our sense of purpose, which can come only from that trust-connection we build with God.

If you find yourself burning out along your journey and are finding life burdensome, spend some time renewing your vision and remembering where you’re headed. And the only place to do that is in His presence. He’ll help you remember, and He’ll give you back your joy.

Father God, we thank you for all the good things in our lives. You sent Your Son to die for us so that we may have a relationship with You. Thank you for loving us and giving us the renewal of spirit so that we may serve You always with newness of heart. Amen

Are You Suffering From Spots or Wrinkles?

The Book in The Attic

Wanted: Part-Time Wife

Look Both Ways!

2008-11-19T01:18:00.007Z

I've been particularly mindful of children and their parents over the past few weeks. This weekend, as I stood at a traffic crossing, I listened to a mother earnestly explain to her small son why it was so important that they should always stop and look both ways before attempting to cross the road. It was a simple comment from a loving parent, but woven in an embracing cloak of nurturing responsibility and love.

Raising or teaching children is an awesome responsibility that has its challenges and rewards. Think of it: God has given some of us the responsibility of caring for a living being who is created in His image. When we offer our children to God we are acknowledging that we are stewards, not owners. We are also acknowledging that one day we will stand before God and answer for how we brought them up. Truly, our children are our greatest gift from God and the enormity of the task should sober us.

Each day is joy drenched with anxiety. If you experience a bit of anxiety about raising your children, it suggests that you’re on the ball and your children will benefit in the long-run. And if that isn’t enough of an incentive, you could take the fear route...

Remember, when you become old and grey, it’s your children who get to select your nursing home!

Gracious and loving God, You have blessed us with the greatest gifts in our children. Help us to embrace them with knowledge of life and especially knowledge of the love You give to us. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen

It's Tempting To Just Run Away

When We Need a Little Help

Fast Tracks to Hell

Good Habits Bad Habits

2008-11-17T01:00:00.000Z

Whack the alarm with your out-stretched hand, thank God for a new day, shuffle off to the kitchen to set the kettle to boil, let the dog out, collect the post, kiss your children, brush your teeth. Ah…routine and habits combined!

Routines and habits can be real blessings. They can get us through the most boring parts of life, like our early morning routines, with barely a thought or a strain. With their help we just plod forward. Routines and habits can carry us along when we’re tired and they can keep us going in the right direction when we could easily wander off.

Good habits of living and thinking can do us the favour of setting off alarm bells when we’re tempted to do something stupid. Habits can be real blessings - but only some of them are in fact.

The other side of habits is that they can blind us to the most obvious of evils and the most ridiculous of life patterns. This is especially true when a habit of thinking and acting is a part of the culture in which we live. It’s always just been there and we’ve never thought about whether it’s right or makes sense or not.

That’s where the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were caught, inside their own inherited habits of thinking and being. It led them to do and say a lot that made no sense. And it left them floating along on the surface of life, never seeing or finding its real purpose or meaning.

All of this leaves us with a crucial question: What are we taking for granted and just not looking at? Has habit blinded our hearts to the needs of others or to the consequences of our daily choices? Take time to look at the things you take for granted. There are almost certainly some surprises waiting for you!

Holy Father, help us to realise when we fail to see all that surrounds us. Your world gives us such beauty and majesty in each and every thing. Guide us that we may be a witness to Your love so that others may learn to see as well. And as Your servant, may all the decisions we make, on behalf of others, be full of Your wisdom and love. Amen

When You Think God Isn't Listening

Wanted: Part-Time Wife

How To Be The Best Waitress in The World!

The Childrens Story Visit Our Children Exploited Children

It Only Takes One Rotten Apple

2008-11-13T00:29:00.000Z

Have you made any positive contributions within your community? There’s an old saying about one rotten apple spoiling a whole barrel, and it’s true. We can see it in business, in churches, in sports - almost anywhere. The power to influence people around us is far too undervalued.

The Apostle Paul expressed his concerns about the likely consequences of the conspicuous misbehaviour of one member of the community at Corinth. ‘A little yeast has its effect all through the dough,’ he frets. And he’s right! Regardless of our position, each of us has an impact on the family.

So it’s fair to ask, what effect is our way of living, speaking, driving, working, praying, sharing or not sharing, having on the people around us? Are we encouraging or discouraging them? Do they walk more readily and confidently with God because we are here, or do they pull away because of us?

God has given each of us great power for good in the force of our example. How are we using that power?

Loving God, we offer ourselves as Your servants, to be the strength for those who have no strength, the voice for those who cannot speak, the friend for those who have no friends. But as we serve You Lord, help us to be a guide, rather than a controller, a spirit lifter rather than a spirit destroyer and the hands of one who loves, rather than one who controls. May the strengths You bestow upon us always be used to glorify Your name and help Your children. In Christ’s love, we pray. Amen

Making Bread

When We Need a Little Help

Spots or Wrinkles

Cyber Baby Logic

2008-11-12T07:54:00.005Z

This past weekend I cleaned out a cabinet drawer. Every home has one - that drawer where you place things, believing that you 'might' wish to revisit sometime. Our drawer had a collection of CD’s that were given to us several years ago. None of them had sufficiently appealing titles to entice us to pursue loading them in our player or computer. One of the disks had the title of ‘Cyber Baby.’ And the tag line beneath the title was ‘Care for your own baby just like a real one.’

I thumbed through the instructions, in disbelief, as the poorly translated English (this having originated in Japan), explained that it would provide all the joy and happiness of having your own baby without the pain of giving birth!

And it said that the more care and love you showed it, the better the baby would thrive. There were instructions on where to click to make the baby laugh and giggle, a cyber bottle to feed it, and a series of icons for various toys. There were even icons for changing the baby, should it encounter cyber-soiling and require a change of nappies.

If only life were so simple! But it's not. As humans, we scramble along, trying our best to walk in Jesus' footsteps, we get a full dose of life's shocks, surprises, and general untidiness. And we find ourselves asking, ‘Was I absent when they had the class on this?’ There was no class! And the road map that Jesus gave us for following in His footsteps isn't very detailed.

The main roads are obvious: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbour as you love yourself. But how to get to those roads — and how stay on them — is often very difficult to see. How to love wisely and well, how to be true friends, how to find our gifts and carry them where they needed, how to keep going when we get tired and it gets dark: Trying to walk in Jesus' footsteps can be very confusing, and sometimes we can feel scared and alone.

That's why Jesus' words mean so much to us: ‘I will not leave you as orphans,’ He says. You don't have to walk alone. I'm giving you an advocate, a mentor, the Holy Spirit of God, to be with you and guide you at every step of the way. The Spirit will help you see the path, and will give you the heart and the energy to walk it.

But you must listen carefully, for the Spirit whispers very softly, and often speaks when you're not expecting Him to speak at all. The Spirit seldom says what you expect or what you're ready to hear - so you'll have to listen with an open heart, if you want the truth.

Trust can help you hear. The Spirit knows what is true and loves you even more than you love yourself. Trust that, and step-by-step, you'll find your way home.

Remember: Happiness comes from within, not from a CD.

Lord God, grant us wisdom to share Your word, in such a way that those who need spiritual food may feel fulfilled. Help us to listen, both to You and to those in need. Our trust is in You and it is in Christ’s footsteps that we follow. Amen

Alone Time

Fast Tracks To Hell

Falling In Love at Clapham Junction

Victims of our Own Crime

2008-11-11T10:49:00.001Z

So what’s wrong with a tiny transgression, just a little lie, or a small deception? I suppose if you’re the perpetrator, that would make the other party the ‘victim.’

But actually, when we sin, we ourselves are the first victims of our own ‘crimes.’

Every sin we commit, regardless of its size, damages our spirit by reinforcing one of the negative pathways in our soul. It takes us a little further into ourselves and a little further away from God. Once we’ve jumped that hurdle of sin for the first time, each additional time becomes easier and easier. Eventually we become the very people we loathe. As a consequence it becomes ever easier to turn our backs on God and everyone else.

Those repetitive sins cause us to distance ourselves and cut ourselves off from the only source of true joy. Just as with a drug addict, it’s a downward spiral that can ultimately leave us in total isolation and trapped inside a hardened heart. My goodness, what better definition is there of hell itself? But God didn’t do this to us. We did it ourselves, once choice at a time, until we become lost in a lifeless and loveless world.

God's attitude towards us never changes. He's always waiting to take us back into His embrace. But it's very hard to escape from a truly hardened heart, as we can see so clearly from observing the Pharisees.

In fact, there's only one way out of that cold, bitter place, and that is by doing what we may have nearly forgotten how to do: looking beyond our own needs to the needs of others, giving instead of taking.

As we begin to do that with God's help, we are in fact returning to the 'scene of the crime' and repairing the damage we've done to others. In the process, our own hearts begin to heal, and more and more we can receive the love that God and His people have been trying to give us all the while.

There's healing and repair work to be done in all of us. Why not let God help!

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God of compassion, grant us peace so that our souls may radiate that peace towards others. Heal us, Lord, so that we may heal others. Love us Lord, for we are sinners, so that we may share Your unwavering love with others. Unite us Lord, so that we may all celebrate Your love as one. Amen

Alone Time

Having A Good Death

When Friends and Family Are Needed Most

Red Balloons

2008-11-07T02:07:00.008Z

It was another busy day on the London Underground. As the doors of the tube opened, a single mother with a Downs Syndrome child pushed her way in. At the other end of the same carriage another mother with two small boys, each holding red balloons, also managed to get inside.

Despite the mother's best efforts, the child with Downs was screaming and shouting. Nobody moved to offer them a seat. Backs were turned, books and newspapers were raised; everybody kept their heads down.

Then I noticed the other mother speaking to her two boys. Seconds later the two boys, with their red balloons, made their way through the crowded carriage towards the distraught child. When they reached her, somewhat reluctantly, they handed the mother and her child their two balloons.

At that moment, the child stopped crying and struggling in her mother's arms. She took hold of the balloons and a huge smile came to her face. Two red balloons - an unexpected and unsolicited gift - calmed the tormented child.

As the boys rejoined their mother, heads were raised. People began to clap and to thank the boys for their kindness. For a moment there was a real sense of community in that carriage.

It took a simple act of generosity to calm a mother and her child. It took that act to free the rest of us from our inhibitions and fears of becoming involved.

It took the exchange between those two little boys and a tormented child to help us discover for a moment, the true meaning of what it means to be alive and together in community.

Lord, into our loneliness and pain this day, pour Your compassion and Your love. Amen.

Posted for Fr

Go Ahead Take Your Best Shot

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Who Are We Forgetting?

Anglicans

Obeying The Rules

2008-11-06T01:16:00.004Z

Have you ever watched someone make an illegal turn in the road and wished to yourself that a police officer were nearby to witness it?

There's something of the policeman in most of us. Perhaps it comes from being given so many rules as children — and so many of those little ‘talks’ from parents, teachers, and others about the importance of obeying rules. The fact is, of course, laws and rules can be liberating. They can make life safer and more secure, and they can free us from having to think much about lots of ordinary things. But they can also be spirit-killers.

That was the case in the first generation of Christians, when converts from paganism to Christianity were also required to observe all the religious rules and regulations of orthodox Jews as well. It was a huge burden, under which most of Jesus' contemporaries had been spiritually crushed or had simply given up. And it was so unnecessary, so utterly besides the point of Jesus' teaching, which was to bond to the Lord and to one's neighbours in self-giving love — to love as one wants to be loved.

But old habits die hard, whether they make any sense or not, and it took the Apostles a long time to eventually see the truth. When they did see, they set out to set the people free.

Isn't that what we really want to do for one another — set one another free from the things that don't matter, the things that can't give us life?

Try today to be a liberator rather than a policeman!

Christ Jesus, You have set us free in spirit to grow not only as individuals but as one within Your family. May we always dance within the light of Your love, rather than in the darkness of oppression. Because of You, we are truly free! Amen

posted for fr bill

When We Need a Little Help

How to Identify Your Brother

Who Are We Forgetting?

We Can Hear His Voice

2008-11-05T02:30:00.010Z

Here in our English countryside we have many shepherds. They take care of their sheep from its infancy onwards.

Because of this, the sheep become familiar with the shepherd and recognise him even when it doesn't understand him. Sheep are not the brightest of God’s animals, but it does recognise the familiar vocal sounds of the shepherd.

In the same way, for centuries we as a Church have responded to the voice of the Good Shepherd long before we have figured out what He was saying. This is why the Church could worship Jesus as God long before it was able to iron out the mysteries of the Trinity or how His death was for our sins. We sheep knew the Shepherd's voice long before we figured out His words.

When He took to himself the Name of God and said, 'I Am,' we knew it was truth long before we knew how we knew it was truth. Most revelation just like the revelation of falling in love happens this way. The miracle occurs and hits us squarely between the eyes, in a way that is astounding yet undeniable.

We then spend the rest of our lives trying to articulate what happened to us. Fortunately we are not sheep only like sheep. God has given us voices to articulate rather than just bleat. But what we articulate is always going to be a follow-up to what the Shepherd has shown us and where He has led.

May we always walk in the ways He has shown us through the shepherds He has given us.

Holy Father, bless our leaders, our bishops, and those who carry us when we need help. Let our leadership be strong, but always with You and through You. For with Your love, we may take care of our own flock, just as Christ took care of His. Amen

I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am! John 8:58

It's Life Jim, But Not as We Know It!
We Are Never Alone
When Morning Dawns

Freedom In Action

2008-11-04T10:30:00.006Z

The day that most of the world has been waiting for - The American elections. The candidate’s voices are wearing out as they traverse the great span of America, hoping to engage those who remain undecided and especially to ignite a spark in those who may think their vote will not make a difference.

Whatever the outcome, it is clear that Americans are keen to express how their government is being run. Just as with Britain, this process is a core to our celebration of freedom. And whether it’s The United States or the United Kingdom, we share in some core truths:

We live in countries where priests, caretakers, and Librarians can get up early to open their buildings for use as voting centres.
We live in countries where there are warehouses to store ballot boxes from one election to the next because they will be needed so often.
We live in countries where local government officials will sit behind desks for long and boring shifts so that people like me can turn up at a time that suits us and cast our votes.
We live in countries where anyone who wants to is safe to vote without fear of intimidation.
We live in countries where lots of essential people will work very late overnight to get the results counted as fast and as accurately as possible.
We live in countries where we can be sure the result declared in our constituencies will be completely accurate.
We live in countries where broadcasters will put a huge effort in keeping us informed throughout the night and aware of exactly what is happening and what are the implications.
We live in countries where most of us will have sympathy for the majority of politicians because they have such an anxious wait until the final result is known early tomorrow.
We live in countries where none of the possible outcomes will remove our freedom of thought.
We live in countries where we can look outward and see the injustice, the absence of freedom, the oppression, and the struggle others are enduring to have what we have.
We live in countries where we can gather together and pray to God for those who have less than we have, and discuss our faith, and share our views, and help.

Thank you Lord and thank you to all those who have gone before us to help build these freedoms we have.

Lord God, You stop at nothing to enlarge the human spirit. We pray that You enlarge our imaginations to appreciate freedom and good order, and to strive to see those blessings prevail everywhere; so that the world may be a more holy place, as it becomes a more humane place, according to Your loving design. Amen

I am Not a Judge

Gentle My Words With Wisdom

Who are We Forgetting?